Translanguaging as a disruptive pedagogy in language education

An analysis of metacognitive reflections of second-year undergraduate students

Keywords: epistemic access, language learning, literacy, multilingualism, translanguaging, monolingualism

Abstract

Debate on whether the use of translanguaging is disruptive of monolingual ideologies and practices that predominate global tertiary education seem to be still in its infancy. Contemporary research in the area focuses on what appears conflicting though lucid discourses on eliminating boundaries between codes or languages, resulting in no ‘named’ languages. This study adopted a qualitative case study approach in which second year undergraduate students taking a literacy course were purposively sampled. The data was collected through analysing the participants’ course related interactions on the virtual space, WhatsApp. The efficacy of WhatsApp as an instructional tool in the teaching and learning context has escalated the interest among researchers in exploring its potential benefit in a multilingual setting. The paper reports on the crucial role language plays in the comprehension, participation, motivation, and consequent ameliorated academic performance of multilingual students. The findings attest that translanguaging, where languages of input and output are consciously alternated, proves to be an indispensable pedagogy and recommends its incorporation in daily instructional practices.

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Author Biographies

Erasmos Charamba, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Dr Erasmos Charamba, having taught at primary, secondary and university levels, is currently a lecturer in the Foundation Studies Division in the School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He writes and presents widely on issues of language education, multilingualism, multiculturalism, science education, decolonisation and transformation.

Sibhekinkosi Anna Nkomo, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Dr Sibhekinkosi Anna Nkomo is currently a lecturer in the Foundation Phase Division in the School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Her research interests are in the development of literacy in the Foundation Phase in disadvantaged communities through implementing reading interventions. Her interests are also on issues of language education in higher education, multilingualism and multiculturalism.

Published
2022-12-07
How to Cite
Charamba, E., & Nkomo, S. A. (2022). Translanguaging as a disruptive pedagogy in language education : An analysis of metacognitive reflections of second-year undergraduate students. Journal for Language Teaching , 56(2), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.56285/jltVol56iss2a5337