Translanguaging Practices in a Thai Classroom Context: Views from Thai Primary and Secondary School Teachers
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Abstract
The present study examines the translanguaging practices of Thai English as a Foreign Language teachers and their perceptions on incorporating such practices in a classroom with strict language separation policy. Convenience (availability and accessibility) and purposive (common characteristics of participants) sampling methods were used to select Thai teachers at primary and secondary school levels (N = 77) in Northeast Thailand as participants. Online questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were used to collect data that were both quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis, respectively. The results show that most of the teachers (72.23%) practiced translanguaging in the classroom by creating a space for both Thai and English to be used for scaffolding learning and meaning-making and for fostering opportunities to assist students in learning, while 27.77% of teachers reported their strict adherence to use English only. This result corroborated with the teachers’ overall positive perception of incorporating translanguaging in different classroom situations to assist the students’ learning and enhance classroom interaction and participation. However, some teachers highlighted challenges with implementing this strategy in Thailand despite its practical benefits.
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