Understanding the grounds of translanguaging in EFL classrooms: Scrutinizing the perceptions and practices of English teachers

The rise of bilingualism and multilingualism has transformed language teaching approaches from the ground up, and this is a salient factor in EFL contexts in particular. Regardless of the fact that known current pedagogical trends foreground teaching methods that are responsive to assorted contexts, a great deal of EFL classrooms still abide by traditional monolingual practices, which creates a disconnection between theory and classroom reality. In this vein, translanguaging, which enables one to use their full linguistic repertoire, acts as a reinforcer to reach language-related learning outcomes, resulting in better understanding in the target language. However, research on its practical application in EFL classrooms, especially from EFL teachers' perspectives, remains limited and prompted the development of this study as a result. This research, adopting an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, attempted to investigate this issue by scrutinizing the relationship between teachers' perceptions and their self-reported translanguaging practices; in addition to this, it brought forth the relationship between teachers' beliefs and their classroom practices, including their reasons for employing translanguaging pedagogy. The data were collected from 84 EFL teachers using a 6-point Likert scale questionnaire and analyzed descriptively via SPSS 23. Supplementary inferences came from open-ended questionnaire responses and in-depth interviews with seven participants, both of which were analyzed by way of inductive content analysis. Consequently, the results revealed notable contradictions between teachers' opinions for English-only policy and their actual teaching practices. Namely, it was found that teachers supported the idea of maximizing English use, yet they regularly incorporated their first language for teaching grammar, teaching complex concepts, teaching pronunciation, preparing for tests, and developing metalinguistic awareness. Furthermore, it was also discovered that teachers frequently used translanguaging to create supportive learning environments, reduce anxiety, and address students with varying proficiency levels. Moreover, it was observed that EFL teachers tend to take a utilitarian approach to language use, which means that they adapt their methods based on various classroom contexts, and try to balance different languages in their classrooms according to students' needs. Therefore, the study suggested that maintaining sufficient English language exposure is possible with judicious translanguaging, which can promote student engagement and achievement in EFL settings. Considering these, this research offers many implications and recommendations for EFL teachers, stakeholders, and curriculum designers in relation to the pedagogical merits of translanguaging.