Beyond Boundaries of Languages: Pedagogical Translanguaging in an Ethnic Minority University in Xinjiang

Abstract

Translanguaging, a pedagogical strategy that alternates between the use of L1 and L2 in EFL/ESL classrooms, has been shown to enhance comprehension, facilitate scaffolding, and promote inclusive and equitable classroom participation in language education. Although translanguaging has attracted growing academic attention in China, little is known about how university English teachers employ translanguaging strategies in multilingual classrooms in Xinjiang. This area would benefit from such research, as it responds to Xinjiang’s multilingual reality and supports high-quality English education in minority areas. This research investigated teachers’ pedagogical translanguaging practices and students’ attitudes in college English classrooms at Yili Normal University in Xinjiang. Adopting a mixed-methods design consisting of an 8-week classroom observation, a questionnaire survey with 170 students (89 minority and 81 Han), and 18 semi-structured interviews, this study aims to categorise the types of translanguaging practices employed by teachers, examine both Han and minority students’ attitudes toward these practices, and identify the factors shaping such attitudes. The findings show that teachers’ translanguaging practices fell into three categories—explanatory, managerial, and interpersonal—comprising 12 specific subcategories. Quantitative results indicate that a majority of students expressed positive attitudes (scoring above 4) towards these practices, with minority and Han students showing overall optimism but diverging in certain classroom contexts, with minority students less likely to view translanguaging as signalling deficiency or hindering language acquisition (t=2.712, p=0.007). Thematic analysis further revealed four key factors influencing students’ attitudes: English proficiency, teachers’ language choice, the perceived psychological distance between Chinese and English, and awareness of linguistic diversity. As one of the early systematic attempts to explore translanguaging in higher education settings in China’s ethnic minority regions, this research proposes that teachers’ adoption of translanguaging practices, such as using bilingual explanations, the use of activities explicitly encouraging students to draw on their full linguistic repertoires, as well as teacher training programmes, should include practical workshops on translanguaging pedagogy.