A study of teachers and students perceptions towards use of translanguaging in English language classrooms in Thailand

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate secondary school teachers‘ and students‘ perceptions towards translanguaging in English language classrooms in Thailand. The instrument for collecting quantitative data was an online 5-Likert scale questionnaire whereas the instrument for collecting qualitative data was an online text-based interview. The subjects were 363 Thai students in secondary level 1, 2, and 3 (equivalent to grade 7, 8, and 9, respectively) who were requested to complete the online questionnaire. To obtain qualitative data, nine Thai students and six native English teachers were requested to participate in the online text-based interview. According to the result of the data analysis, both Thai students and native English teachers had positive perceptions towards the use of translanguaging in English language classrooms. In addition, translanguaging helped students to understand complex lessons and improve their English communication skills. The research recommended that teachers implement translanguaging to enhance their English teaching effectiveness, and students were suggested to use translanguaging to enhance their English learning competency