Filipino Undergraduates’ Perceptions of Translanguaging in a Linguistically Diverse Context

Filipino Undergraduates’ Perceptions of Translanguaging in a Linguistically Diverse Context King Arman A. Calingasan Earl Emunahlyn Joice V. Erlano De La Salle University Notre Dame University Taft Avenue Notre Dame Avenue Malate, Metro Manila Cotabato City, Maguindanao king.calingasan@dlsu.edu.ph erlano.eej@gmail.com Haina P. Salik Abdullaken U. Sinagandal Notre Dame University Notre Dame University Notre Dame Avenue Notre Dame Avenue Cotabato City, Maguindanao Cotabato City, Maguindanao salikhaina6@gmail.com sinagandal.laken@gmail.com Abstract This explanatory sequential mixed-method study aimed to determine the general perception of undergraduate students toward translanguaging and the reasons behind these perspectives. This study was done in two phases: a cross-sectional quantitative approach and a qualitative semi-structured interview. The data collected from the two phases were used to explain and interpret the perceptions of the participants (N=1170). It was conducted in a private higher education institution in Central Mindanao where undergraduates were mostly bilingual or multilingual. Overall, based on the descriptive statistics analyses, the study found that the majority positively perceived translanguaging as a practice, for second language learning, in social settings, and in higher education. Moreover, using thematic analysis, the study discovered the major reasons why college students had positive perceptions of translanguaging. They perceived that it (a) is beneficial in classroom activities, (b) is an effective tool to communicate and express ideas, and (c) allows effective learning. Therefore, the present study recommends the integration of translanguaging in the teaching and learning processes. 1 Introduction In recent years, several researchers have become interested in investigating the various stakeholders' perceptions of translanguaging (Daniel & Pacheco 2016; Moody et al. 2019; Torpsten, 2018; Yuvayapan, 2019). Fang and Liu (2020) commented that studying translanguaging will give a broader view of it in classroom discourse practice. One advantage of studying perceptions about translanguaging is that the results can help stakeholders figure out whether or not it is a good thing to practice in the teaching-learning process. Therefore, it is beneficial to outline different perspectives and examine how it affects learning. This demand of knowing the perspectives about the practice urges the researchers to conduct a further study that aims to understand different views from another category of participants. Some teachers in bilingual or multilingual classrooms across the globe usually practice translanguaging. These teachers are sometimes unaware that they apply translanguaging in the teaching process and sometimes deny the use of this approach. It can also occur naturally and often unexpectedly. This shows that monolingual educational policies cannot control translanguaging practices (Canagarajah, 2011). While there are existing misconceptions of translanguaging such as interpreting it as code- switching, it is broader and more likely a practice that allows speakers to use more than one language in a systematic and deliberate way to elicit learning. Translanguaging, as defined by Moody et al. (2019), is a 21st-century approach to language, bilingual education, and bilingualism that uses all linguistic resources of learners without separating their use and is critical to the student learning experience. On the contrary, Tabatabaei (2019) emphasized that the effects of translanguaging in learning are not yet entirely determined …

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