Analysis of translanguaging in English learning of Thai secondary students

This mixed-methods study was conducted to develop a questionnaire that explores students’ translanguaging practices and translanguaging perceptions in Thai secondary school English language instruction. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, classroom observations and teacher interviews were used to frame and categorize students’ translanguaging practices, which were then used to construct the Translanguaging Practices and Perceptions Questionnaire. In the second phase, the questionnaire was distributed to 430 Thai students from M4 to M6 at a public government school in Thailand. After distribution, a confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the proposed factors in the questionnaire had a questionable fit, necessitating an additional exploratory factor analysis to determine a better-fitting model. Additionally, six students were selected for interviews based on their English proficiency to provide further elaboration on their questionnaire responses. The study’s findings showed that Thai students frequently practice translanguaging in English language instruction and perceive it very positively with regards to language learning benefits, especially when translanguaging is used purposefully. However, the frequency of students’ translanguaging practices was reportedly limited by teachers’ interest in or knowledge of translanguaging, especially with regards to translanguaging practices under stance for knowledge collaboration and translanguaging practices under design for content discussion.