Pedagogical translanguaging in English classrooms: teachers’ and students’ experiences in a Thai secondary school

Oct 15, 2026

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This qualitative study examines how Thai EFL teachers use pedagogical translanguaging in multilingual secondary classrooms, combining planned and unplanned strategies to support English learning. Guided by Cenoz and Gorter’s multilingual pedagogical translanguaging model, it analyzes how teachers mobilize students’ L1s (Standard Thai and Isan) alongside English to scaffold comprehension, participation, and interaction management. Data from observations, recordings, field notes, and stimulated recall interviews support findings on engagement, understanding, confidence, mixed-ability support, and classroom control.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research questions

Literature Review

Translanguaging in Language Education

Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics ISSN 2209-0959 [https://www.castledown.com/journals/ajal/](https://www.castledown.com/journals/ajal/) Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8 (3), 2257 (2025) [https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v8n3.2257](https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v8n3.2257) Pedagogical translanguaging in English classrooms: teachers’and students’ experiences in a Thai secondary school APIWIT PAWAPOOTANON SOMKIET POOPATWIBOON ERIC A. AMBELE* Mahasarakham University, Thailand Abstract This qualitative study examines how Thai EFL teachers utilize pedagogical translanguaging in multilingual secondary school classrooms, employing both planned and unplanned strategies to support English language learning. Grounded in Cenoz and Gorter’s (2021) multilingual pedagogical translanguaging model, the study investigates how teachers integrate students’ first languages (L1)—including Standard Thai and Isan—alongside English to scaffold comprehension, foster participation, and manage classroom interaction. Data were collected through classroom observations, video recordings, field notes, and stimulated recall interviews with three teachers and twelve students from three grade levels. Thematic analysis revealed five primary instructional functions oftranslanguaging: promoting engagement, enhancing understanding, boosting learner confidence, supporting mixed-ability groups, and facilitating classroom management. Students generally responded positively, citing increased clarity and reduced anxiety; however, some higher-proficiency learners preferred immersion approaches. The findings highlight the pedagogical value of translanguaging in EFL contexts, while also pointing to the challenges posed by prevailing English-only ideologies. The study advocates for more inclusive language education policies, enhanced teacher preparation in multilingual pedagogies, and ongoing research on learner experiences across diverse sociolinguistic contexts. Keywords: Pedagogical translanguaging, Thai EFL classrooms, multilingual education, language policy and practice, student language engagement Introduction In recent years, English Language Teaching (ELT) has undergone a significant transformation toward more inclusive, context-responsive approaches that reflect the global and multilingual realities of English use. This pedagogical shift is informed by the Global Englishes (GE) paradigm, which challenges the dominance of native-speaker norms by positioning English as apluricentric and adaptive language used in diverse sociolinguistic contexts (Galloway & Rose, 2015; Jenkins, 2015) . In line with this paradigm, there is growing recognition of the need for teaching methodologies that embrace linguistic diversity and foster multilingual communicative competence. Among these evolving approaches, translanguaging has gained prominence as a transformative and equity-oriented pedagogy. Translanguaging refers to the dynamic use of multilingual learners’ full linguistic repertoires—including their L1 and English—to scaffold learning, promote engagement, and affirm learner identities (Ambele, 2022; García & Li, 2022) . Rather than treating languages as discrete and bounded systems, translanguaging offers a fluid framework that positions all languages and semiotic resources as integral to communication and meaning-making (Viegen, 2020) . While translanguaging has been widely studied in bilingual and English Medium Instruction (EMI) settings, particularly in content subjects like science and mathematics (García & Kleyn, 2016; Vogel & García, 2017), fewer studies have examined how translanguaging is implemented in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classrooms—especially in Southeast Asian contexts where English is not a medium of instruction but a taught subject. In these environments, teachers often face institutional pressure to adopt English-only instruction, despite the linguistic heterogeneity of their students. Moreover, much of

FAQs

What is the study’s main focus in Thai EFL classrooms?

The study investigates how Thai EFL teachers implement both planned and unplanned translanguaging practices to support student learning and engagement in multilingual secondary classrooms.

How did the researchers collect data for this qualitative study?

Data were gathered through classroom observations, video recordings, field notes, and stimulated recall interviews with three teachers and twelve students across three grade levels.

What instructional functions does translanguaging serve, according to the thematic analysis?

The analysis identified five key functions: promoting engagement, enhancing understanding, boosting learner confidence, supporting mixed-ability groups, and facilitating classroom management.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Kurz