Improving English Reading Comprehension of Chinese Undergraduates through the Use of Translanguaging in English Reading Instruction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/ojed.2025.7Keywords:
translanguaging, English reading comprehension, English reading instructionAbstract
The objectives of this research were to: 1) investigate the effects of translanguaging in improving English reading comprehension among Chinese undergraduates, and 2) explore the opinions of Chinese undergraduates towards the use of translanguaging in English reading instruction. The participants were 42 non-English major undergraduates from a provincial university in southwest China, selected through purposive sampling, as they were all enrolled in the same College English Reading and Writing course taught by the researcher. The instruction lasted for nine weeks and was implemented within the Preview-View-Review (PVR) framework in English reading instruction. The instructional instrument included lesson plans, while the research instruments included pre- and post-tests of English reading comprehension, and semi-structured interviews. The research results indicated that 1) the students achieved substantially higher scores on the English reading comprehension test following the use of translanguaging in English reading instruction, and 2) the students had a positive attitude towards the use of translanguaging in English reading instruction, particularly in enhancing understanding and learning efficiency, reducing learning pressure, and increasing learning interest. These findings highlight the pedagogical potential of incorporating translanguaging in English reading instruction. Further research is recommended on its application in different educational contexts.
References
Alasmari, M., Qasem, F., Ahmed, R., & Alrayes, M. (2022). Bilingual teachers’ translanguaging practices and ideologies in online classrooms in Saudi Arabia. Heliyon, 8(9), e10537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10537
Bakken, A. S., & Lund, R. E. (2018). Why should learners of English read? Norwegian English teachers’ notions of EFL reading. Teaching and Teacher Education, 70, 78–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.11.002
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cui, W. L., & Li, B. 崔伟丽 李蓓. (2013). 非英语专业大学生英语阅读现状分析与对策研究. 高考(综合版), (06), 5. https://oversea.cnki.net/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&filename=GKZH201306004&dbname=CJFDN1214
Fang, F. (2018). Review of English as a medium of instruction in Chinese universities today: current trends and future directions. English Today, 34(1), 32-37. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0266078417000360
Fang, F., & Baker, W. (2018). ‘A more inclusive mind towards the world’: English language teaching and study abroad in China from intercultural citizenship and English as a lingua franca perspectives. Language Teaching Research, 22(5), 608-624. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168817718574
Fang, F., & Liu, Y. (2020). ‘Using all English is not always meaningful’: Stakeholders’ perspectives on the use of and attitudes towards translanguaging at a Chinese university. Lingua, 247, 102959. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2020.102959
Freeman, D. E., & Freeman, Y. S. (2007). English language learners: The essential guide. Scholastic. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB02717539
García, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. Wiley-Blackwell.
García, O., & Lin, A. M. Y. (2017). Translanguaging in bilingual education. In O. García, A. M. Y. Lin, & S. May (Eds.), Bilingual and Multilingual Education (3rd ed., pp. 117-130). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02258-1_9
García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137385765
Herber, H. L. (1978). Teaching reading in content areas. Prentice Hall. https://archive.org/details/teachingreadingi0000herb/mode/2up
Hesson, S., Seltzer, K., & Woodley, H. H. (2014). Translanguaging in curriculum and instruction: A CUNY-NYSIEB guide for educators. CUNY-NYSIEB. https://www.cuny-nysieb.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Translanguaging-Guide-Curr-Inst-Final-December-2014.pdf
Kwihangana, F. (2021). Enhancing EFL students’ participation through translanguaging. ELT Journal, 75(1), 87-96. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccaa058
Lewis, G., Jones, B., & Baker, C. (2012). Translanguaging: origins and development from school to street and beyond. Educational
Research and Evaluation, 18(7), 641-654. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2012.718488
Mercuri, S. (2015). Teachers’ understanding of practice: Planning and implementing preview/view/review in the dual language classroom. Advances in Research on Teaching, 24, 81-106. https://doi.org/10.1108/s1479-368720150000024007
Poplack, S. (2001). Code switching: Linguistic. In Neil J. Smelser & Paul B. Baltes (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (pp. 2062-2065). Elsevier Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/b0-08-043076-7/03031-x
Vaish, V., & Subhan, A. (2015). Translanguaging in a reading class. International Journal of Multilingualism, 12(3), 338-357. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2014.948447
Wei, L. (2022). Translanguaging as a political stance: implications for English language education. ELT Journal, 76(2), 172-182. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccab083
Zhang, Y., & Jocuns, A. (2022). From natural translanguaging to planned translanguaging: Developing classroom translanguaging as pedagogy in a private university in China. Arab World English Journal, 13(1), 313-329. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol13no1.20
Zhou, X. (2021). Engaging in pedagogical translanguaging in a Shanghai EFL high school class. ELT Journal, 77(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccab054
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 An Online Journal of Education
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
