Exploring EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices about translanguaging pedagogy: A qualitative study from Iran

In the past decade, research on EFL teachers’ beliefs about translanguaging has significantly grown. However, little qualitative research has been done on teachers’ translanguaging beliefs and practices and the congruity between them. To address this gap in the literature, the current study investigated Iranian EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices, and the correspondence between these beliefs and practices. Data was collected from ten teachers who taught English as a foreign language through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations (three per teachers). The data was analyzed based on the principles of thematic analysis. The results showed that the teachers perceived six dimensions of translanguaging, including diverse beliefs of translanguaging, perceived relevance of translanguaging, pedagogical beliefs and approaches, attitudes toward benefits, concerns and challenges of applying translanguaging, and student-centered approaches. In regard to their practice, the teachers practiced translanguaging in various contexts and through different instructional strategies in their classes. Regarding the correspondence between beliefs and practices, it was found that there was a mainly direct correspondence between beliefs and practices. The study provides implications for teacher educators in running professional development courses that enhance teachers’ awareness of using translanguaging in their classes.