Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Teachers’ Translanguaging Ideologies and Practices at an International Branch Campus in Qatar

卡達海外分校之教師跨語際意識形態及實踐研究

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
English Teaching & Learning Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

While there has been a lot of recent research on teachers’ translanguaging practices in K-12 educational contexts, research on teachers’ translanguaging practices in higher education is sparse, and even more so within the contexts of internationalized higher education, such as found in the Arab states of the Gulf. Over the last two decades, there has been a rapid growth of international branch campuses (IBCs) offering English-medium degree programs in the Gulf. As these programs include bi- and multi/plurilingual teachers and students, they are a ripe setting for exploring translanguaging practices. Therefore, this study examines teachers’ translanguaging ideologies and practices at an American IBC in Qatar. Twenty-two bi- and multi/plurilingual faculty members and lab instructors completed a survey about translanguaging practices and a purposeful sampling of these instructors were video-recorded teaching their courses and then interviewed using stimulated-recall techniques. The results show that while instructors may report minimal mixing of languages in classrooms at this IBC due to different ideological tensions, in practice instructors still engage in translanguaging for various pedagogical purposes, both inside and outside of the classroom space. The study additionally sheds light on the complexities of the linguistic ecology of internationalized universities when it comes to translanguaging practices.

摘要

近來對於教師跨語際實踐現象探討之研究, 諸多聚焦在幼兒園、小學和中學(K-12)的義務教育情境中, 然而就高等教育學校之教師跨語際實踐現象著墨咸少, 甚而對於位在波斯灣阿拉伯國家的國際化高等教育學校更是缺乏此探討之研究。過去二十年來, 位在波斯灣之海外分校, 提供以英語授課之學位課程的數量已快速成長。由於在這些學位課程中具有雙語和多國語言的教師及學生們, 所以這些課程已成為一個成熟的環境, 適合來探討跨語際實踐的現象。因此, 本研究為調查一所位於卡達之美國海外分校的教師跨語際意識形態及實踐研究。22名雙語及多國語言的教職員及實驗室指導教師皆須填寫一份跨語際實踐的問卷; 有意圖抽樣幾名教師以影像方式來記錄其授課情況, 並以刺激回憶方式 (stimulated-recall techniques) 來進行後續的訪談。研究結果顯示, 雖然教師們由於意識形態緊張關係, 只匯報在課堂中極少的語言混合現象, 然而教師們仍然在課堂內和外, 為了不同的教育目的進行跨語際實踐。當談到跨語際實踐時, 本研究也額外闡明國際化大學中語言生態的複雜性。

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Al-Bakri, S. (2013). Problematizing English medium instruction in Oman. International Journal of Bilingual and Multilingual Teachers of English, 1(2), 55–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Al-Jarf, R. (2008). The impact of English as an international language (EIL) upon Arabic in Saudi Arabia. Asian EFL Journal, 10(4), 193–210.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Alkatheery, E. (2014). Functions of teacher code-switching in a Saudi EFL classroom: a case study. Perspectives, 22(3), 18–23.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Allard, E. C. (2017). Re-examining teacher translanguaging: an ecological perspective. Bilingual Research Journal, 40(2), 116–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Arthur, J., & Martin, P. (2006). Accomplishing lessons in postcolonial classrooms: comparative perspectives from Botswana and Brunei Darussalam. Comparative Education, 42(2), 177–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Barnawi, O. Z. (2018). Neoliberalism and English language education policies in the Arabian Gulf. London and New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Belhiah, H., & Elhami, M. (2015). English as a medium of instruction in the Gulf: when students and teachers speak. Language Policy, 14(1), 3–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Canagarajah, S. (2011). Codemeshing in academic writing: identifying teachable strategies of translanguaging. Modern Language Journal, 95(3), 401–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Carroll, K. S., & Sambolín Morales, A. N. (2016). Using university students' L1 as a resource: translanguaging in a Puerto Rican ESL classroom. Bilingual Research Journal, 39(3–4), 248–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Carroll, K. S., & van den Hoven, M. (2017). Translanguaging within higher education in the United Arab Emirates. In C. M. Mazak & K. S. Carroll (Eds.), Translanguaging in higher education: beyond monolingual ideologies (141–157). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (Eds.). (2015). Multilingual education: between language learning and translanguaging. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Creese, A., & Blackledge, A. (2010). Translanguaging in the bilingual classroom: a pedagogy for learning and teaching? The Modern Language Journal, 94(1), 103–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Cook, W. R. A. (2017). More vision than renaissance: Arabic as a language of science in the UAE. Language Policy, 16, 385–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Doiz, A., & Lasagabaster, D. (2017). Teachers’ beliefs about translanguaging practices. In C. M. Mazak & K. S. Carroll (Eds.), Translanguaging in higher education: beyond monolingual ideologies (pp. 1–10). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Duarte, J. (2016). Translanguaging in mainstream education: a sociocultural approach. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050/2016/1231774.

  16. Duarte, J. (2018). Translanguaging in the context of mainstream multilingual education. International Journal of Multilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2018.1512607.

  17. Ellili-Cherif, M., & Alkhateeb, H. (2015). College students' attitude toward the medium of instruction: Arabic versus English dilemma. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 3(3), 207–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Eslami, Z. R., Graham, K. M., & Bashir, H. (in press). Higher EDUCATION in Qatar: a multi-dimensional analysis using the roadmapping framework In S. Dimova & J. Kling (Eds.), Integrating content and language in multilingual universities. Springer.

  19. Eslami, Z. R., Reynolds, D., Sonnenburg-Winkler, S. L., & Crandall, J. (2016). Translanguaging for teacher development in Qatari middle school science classrooms. In J. Crandall & M. Christison (Eds.), Teacher education and professional development in TESOL: global perspectives (pp. 240–254). New York: Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  20. Gallagher, F., & Colohan, G. (2017). T(w)o and fro: Using the L1 as a language teaching tool in the CLIL classroom. Language Learning Journal, 45(4), 485–498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. García, O., Johnson, S. I., & Seltzer, K. (2017). The translanguaging classroom: leveraging student bilingualism for learning. Philadelphia: Caslon.

    Google Scholar 

  22. García, O., & Kano, N. (2014). Translanguaging as process and pedagogy: developing the English writing of Japanese students in the US. In J. Conteh & G. Meier (Eds.), The multilingual turn in languages education: Benefits for individuals and societies (pp. 258–277). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  23. García, O., & Li, W. (2014). Translanguaging: language, bilingualism and education. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  24. Gass, S. M., & Mackey, A. (2000). Stimulated recall methodology in second language research. Mahwah: L. Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Haberland, H., Lønsmann, D., & Preisler, B. (Eds.). Language alternation, language choice and language encounter in international tertiary education. Dordrecht: Springer.

  26. Hillman, S., & Ocampo Eibenschutz, E. (2018). English, super-diversity, and identity in the State of Qatar. World Englishes, 37(2), 228–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Kane, T. (2014). Whose lingua franca? The politics of language in transnational medical education. The Journal of General Education, 63(2/3), 94–112.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Ke, I. C., & Lin, S. (2017). Translanguaging approach to TESOL in Taiwan. English Teaching & Learning, 41(1), 33–61.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Lasagabaster, D., & García, O. (2014). Translanguaging: towards a dynamic model of bilingualism at school. Cultura y Educacion, 26(3), 557–572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Lewis, G., Jones, B., & Baker, C. (2012). Translanguaging: developing its conceptualisation and contextualisation. Educational Research and Evaluation, 18(7), 655–670.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Li, W. (2011). Moment analysis and translanguaging space: discursive construction of identities by multilingual Chinese youth in Britain. Multilingual Structures and Agencies, 43(5), 1222–1235.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Li, W. (2018). Translanguaging as a practical theory of language. Applied Linguistics, 39(1), 9–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Li, W., & Hua, Z. (2013). Translanguaging identities and ideologies: creating transnational space through flexible multilingual practices amongst Chinese university students in the UK. Applied Linguistics, 34(5), 516–535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Llurda, E., Cots, J. M., & Armengol, L. (2013). Expanding language borders in a bilingual institution aiming at trilingualism. In H. Haberland, D. Lønsmann, & B. Preisler (Eds.), Language alternation, language choice and language encounter in international tertiary education (pp. 203–222). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  35. Makalela, L. (2015). Moving out of linguistic boxes: the effects of translanguaging strategies for multilingual classrooms. Language and Education, 29(3), 200–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Makalela, L. (2015). Translanguaging as a vehicle for epistemic access: cases for reading comprehension and multilingual interactions. Per Linguam, 31(1), 15–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Mazak, C. M. (2017). Introduction: theorizing translanguaging practices in higher education. In C. M. Mazak & K. S. Carroll (Eds.), Translanguaging in higher education: Beyond monolingual ideologies (pp. 1–10). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Mazak, C. M., & Carroll, K. S. (Eds.). (2017). Translanguaging in higher education: beyond monolingual ideologies. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Mazak, C. M., & Herbas-Donoso, C. (2015). Translanguaging practices at a bilingual university: a case study of a science classroom. International Journal of Bilingual Education & Bilingualism, 18, 698–714.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Nebel, A. (2017). Linguistic superdiversity and English-medium higher education in Qatar. In L. Arnold, A. Nebel, & L. Ronesi (Eds.), Emerging writing research from the Middle East-North Africa region (pp. 27–40). Fort Collins: The WAC Clearinghouse and University Press of Colorado.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Palfreyman, D. M., & Al-Bataineh, A. This is my life style, Arabic and English': students' attitudes to (trans)languaging in a bilingual university context. Language Awarness, 27(1–2), 79–95.

  42. Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Qatar Foundation. (2018). Enroll. https://www.qf.org.qa/enroll Accessed 15 May 2018.

  44. Rabab’ah, G., & Al-Yasin, N. F. (2017). English-Arabic code switching in Jordanian EFL teachers' discourse. Dirasat, Human and Social Sciences, 43(2).

  45. Rasman, R. (2018). To translanguage or not to translanguage? The multilingual practice in an Indonesian EFL classroom. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7(3), 687–694.

  46. Sayer, P. (2013). Translanguaging, TexMex, and bilingual pedagogy: emergent bilinguals learning through the vernacular. TESOL Quarterly, 47(1), 63–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Söderlundh, H. (2013). Language choice and linguistic variation in classes nominally taught in English. In H. Haberland, D. Lønsmann, & B. Preisler (Eds.), Language alternation, language choice and language encounter in international tertiary education (pp. 85–102). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  48. Wolfram, W., & Schilling-Estes, N. (2006). American English: dialects and variation (2nd ed.). UK: Wiley Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Texas A&M University at Qatar, PO Box 23874, Education City, Doha, Qatar

    Sara Hillman & Zohreh R. Eslami

  2. Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University, 308 Harrington Tower, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Keith M. Graham & Zohreh R. Eslami

Authors
  1. Sara Hillman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Keith M. Graham
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zohreh R. Eslami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sara Hillman.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Interview Protocol

  1. 1.

    In general, how do you feel about using Arabic in classes at an international branch campus such as this?

  2. 2.

    The day I observed, you… (show video segments). Can you explain why you chose to use Arabic in those moments?

  3. 3.

    Would you say that the class I observed was typical in terms of the amount of Arabic you use in your class?

  4. 4.

    Can you give some examples of when you have used Arabic in the class previously and why?

  5. 5.

    What other factors do you consider when choosing to use Arabic in your classroom?

  6. 6.

    Do you think translanguaging can be beneficial as a pedagogical technique?

  7. 7.

    How do you feel about students using Arabic in your class? When would you allow it and when would you not?

  8. 8.

    How often do you use Arabic with students during office hours?

  9. 9.

    What factors do you consider when choosing to use Arabic in your office hours?

  10. 10.

    Can you give some examples of when you have used Arabic in your office hours?

Appendix 2

Survey

This survey forms part of a preliminary investigation to better understand if and how bilingual Arabic-English instructors in higher education in Qatar use translanguaging (selecting or mixing different languages) in English-medium classrooms. By understanding how translanguaging techniques are used, teachers can be trained on best practices and improve educational outcomes.

figure a

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hillman, S., Graham, K.M. & Eslami, Z.R. Teachers’ Translanguaging Ideologies and Practices at an International Branch Campus in Qatar. English Teaching & Learning 43, 41–63 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-018-0015-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-018-0015-3

Keywords

關鍵詞

Search

Navigation