EXPLORING STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ENGLISH-ONLY VERSUS TRANSLANGUAGING-BASED INSTRUCTION IN MULTILINGUAL ESL CLASSROOMS OF PUBLIC SECTOR COLLEGES IN PUNJAB
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63878/jalt2290Keywords:
: Translanguaging, English-only instruction, Critical Pedagogy, multilingual ESL classrooms, learner empowerment, linguistic identity, classroom participation.Abstract
The current study investigates the students’ perceptions of English-only and translanguaging-based instruction in the multilingual ESL classrooms of the public sector boys’ colleges of Punjab. In multilingual postcolonial contexts, English is often linked to academic prestige and social mobility, but English-only instructional policies can also produce linguistic inequalities and limit students’ participation in the classroom. The study explored undergraduate students’ perceptions of comprehension, engagement, confidence, anxiety, inclusivity, and learner empowerment in English-only and translanguaging-based instructional practices. The study was grounded in Paulo Freire’s Critical Pedagogy in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, highlighting dialogue, participation, and educational inclusion. In the present study, a quantitative research design was used. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. It consisted of twenty Likert scale items that were grouped into four factors: English-only Instruction, Translanguaging-Based Instruction, Critical Awareness, and Preference and Attitudes. The questionnaire was found to have high reliability with Cronbach’s Alpha values ranging from 0.943 to 0.956 and an overall reliability coefficient of 0.888. The sample of the study was 250 under graduate male students who were purposively selected from five public sector boys’ colleges of Sheikhupura, Gujranwala and Shahdara. Data were analyzed using SPSS through descriptive statistics, comparative mean analysis and reliability testing. The results indicated that students recognized the importance of English-only instruction for enhancing English language competency and also linked the phenomenon with anxiety, lack of confidence and limited participation. On the other hand, translanguaging was seen as a positive practice that facilitated understanding, interaction, student comfort and inclusion in the classroom. The study concludes that ESL classrooms that use translanguaging-based instruction would be more participatory and learner-centered. It recommends the use of flexible pedagogical practices in multiple languages and further research in wider educational settings.
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