The effects of the integration of translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy in the EFL University classroom

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the integration of translanguaging as a pedagogical tool in the EFL university classroom. In order to fulfill this purpose, a mixed methods study was conducted on second level students registered at the Language Department of the University of Azuay during the period from June to July 2016. The instruments used to collect data included a pre-intervention questionnaire that gathered demographical information and the students’ perceptions toward the use of the mother tongue and target language before the intervention; a pre-test and a post-test which were administered before and after both phases of the intervention (the communicative approach and translanguaging respectively); and questionnaires at the end of each phase of the intervention gathered the participants’ opinions toward the use of translanguaging in the classroom. SPSS software V.22 was used to analyze the data and generate descriptive and inferential statistics. The general results showed that the participants welcomed the use of L1 during the intervention with the incorporation of translanguaging; furthermore, the students made significant statistical improvements in grammar and vocabulary after the incorporation of translanguaging during the second phase of the intervention. Therefore, it is recommended for EFL teachers to incorporate some translanguaging techniques in their regular communicative classrooms if they are to enhance students’ learning.