Translanguaging on an English-medium undergraduate research methods course for Vietnamese psychology students learning in their second language: a practitioner enquiry

Abstract

Purpose

Translanguaging is a language-related pedagogy drawing upon all resources within a learner’s linguistic repertoire, in contrast to conventional monolingual pedagogy. Most research about translanguaging concerns English-language learning in primary schools and secondary schools and overlooks psychology subject matter, higher education and countries in southeast Asia. This article reports a small-scale practitioner enquiry into translanguaging on an English-medium undergraduate research methods course for psychology students in Vietnam and into the usefulness of the Multimodalities-Entextualization Cycle as a conceptual framework for integrating translanguaging into the course.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with students and reflective journaling by the teacher, and the data were analysed in a hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis.

Findings

The first theme about teaching and translanguaging consists of the following subthemes: (a) enhanced communication, (b) increased awareness of language use, (c) supported interaction in class and (d) time and workload issues. The second theme about learning and translanguaging is subdivided into the following subthemes: (a) a new approach to learning, (b) beneficial for learning, (c) developing confidence in learning in English and (d) enjoyment of translanguaging. The conceptual framework underpinning the study was useful for designing and implementing translanguaging activities for the course.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to one course and a small group of students in Vietnam learning English as a second language. It addresses limited research on translanguaging in psychology courses, higher education, and southeast Asia.

Practical implications

The study makes a valuable contribution to the teaching profession by offering practical insights into the application, benefits, and drawbacks of translanguaging for psychology and research methods subject matter.

Social implications

Moreover, the findings lay the groundwork for potential influences on education policy, aligning with broader societal impacts.

Originality/value

The study makes a valuable contribution to the literature by delving into a relatively unexplored domain.

Citation

Davey, G. (2024), "Translanguaging on an English-medium undergraduate research methods course for Vietnamese psychology students learning in their second language: a practitioner enquiry", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-11-2023-0504