Translanguaging in instruction and pedagogic design: promoting learner-centredness in a teacher-centred reading classroom of a Bangladeshi university

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigated the impact of translanguaging pedagogy on the reading comprehension process of first-year students studying at an English department of a Bangladeshi public university. Through a two-pronged ethnographic research design, data were collected through classroom observation, pedagogical intervention, a semi-structured interview with the class teacher and a focus group discussion with students. The entire data set was analyzed using ‘Moment Analysis,’ a conceptual framework, to provide pedagogical evidence supporting how translanguaging in instruction can facilitate students embracing a more active and collaborative role in a teacher-centered classroom. This study suggests that translanguaging-oriented instruction and pedagogic design can stimulate metalinguistic awareness to improve comprehension while enhancing active engagement with the reading materials to the benefit of the students who do not have English as a first language. Furthermore, translanguaging pedagogies can foster individualism (agency), a quality that English departments promote among their students. The findings have implications for planning future policy, including interim stages, that can bridge the English language proficiency gap between pre-tertiary and tertiary education in Bangladesh.