Translanguaging: Teachers and Pupils’ Challenges in ESL Reading Comprehension Lessons in Chinese Vernacular Primary School

Abstract

This study was carried out to elicit the challenges faced by both teachers and pupils while translanguaging in ESL reading comprehension lessons. Adopting a mixed-method approach, data from this study were garnered from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and questionnaires with ESL teachers and upper-level primary school pupils who are currently teaching or studying at Chinese vernacular schools in Malaysia. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the data obtained from the questionnaires while the interviews and classroom observations were audio and video recorded and transcribed. Five challenges faced by the teachers when translanguaging is integrated in reading comprehension lessons were highlighted, which are students’ high dependency on translanguaging, time-consuming, lack of formal policy on the appropriateness of adopting translanguaging. Besides that, demotivation of students’ learning may occur when translanguaging was overused by teachers and some high proficiency students unexpectedly do not show appreciation on the use of the first language in ESL classroom.

Keywords:  translanguaging; translanguage; ESL; vernacular school