EXPLORING UNIVERSITY TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ON TRANSLANGUAGING PRACTICES IN ENGLISH CLASSROOMS

The study aims to analyze the university teachers' and students’ perceptions of ‘translanguaging’ practices as a medium of instruction in ESL classrooms in Sialkot. A qualitative study was conducted to analyze the perceptions of teachers and students towards ‘Translanguaging.’ In this regard, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with nine English Language teachers and eighteen undergraduate students of the English Department from three public and private universities in Sialkot. It has been analyzed through thematic analysis with the key aspects of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (1987). Findings revealed that ‘Translanguaging’ acts as a scaffolding tool to bridge the Linguistic gap, peer collaboration, Interaction, learning engagement, Class Participation, etc. Incorporating students’ native language alongside English as a medium of instruction in an ESL classroom is beneficial. The study concludes with recommendations for further research on ‘Translanguaging’ practices.