The translanguaging practices of expert Indian teachers of English and their learners

Abstract

This paper reports on a comparative case study of the multilingual practices of eight secondary teachers of English from across India, all identified as experts of their contexts using multiple criteria. Both qualitative and quantitative data from classroom observations, interviews and other sources were collected, analysed and compared across cases. It finds that, while there was noticeable variation among the participants, all engaged in complex translingual practices that were inclusive of their learners’ languages, invariably prioritising learner participation over language choice. It also finds that, in each context, learners invariably mirrored the varied translingual practices of their teachers, and that the practices of the classroom community were found to be reflective of practices in wider Indian society, enabling learners both to meet the normative requirements of monolingual written exams while also learning to integrate English more flexibly in their spoken repertoires. Given these findings, two recommendations are offered for educational policy and practice, both in India and comparable multilingual contexts across the Global South: for policy-makers and institutions to avoid the unqualified endorsement of monolingual target language (e.g. ‘English-only’) practices in language instruction, and for teachers to prioritise learner inclusion in classroom discourse and activities over maximal target language use.

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