Motivational Benefits of Translanguaging for EFL Learners

Translanguaging is emerging as an alternative medium of instruction to the traditional monolingual approach adopted in many countries teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). Researchers have evaluated its applicability in monolingual and multilingual environments, concentrating on learners’ perceptions of its use in classrooms but giving relatively little attention to its motivational benefits at Saudi universities. Addressing that gap, this study investigated the motivational benefits of translanguaging among EFL learners at Taibah University, Saudi Arabia, with self-determination theory as the theoretical framework. Online questionnaires in Arabic were collected from 159 EFL students, and written interviews in English were collected from 10 of the same students. Their responses indicated they understood what translanguaging was, expressed a positive attitude toward its use in the classroom, and appeared to show motivational benefits from it in terms of proficiency level, clarifying complex concepts, bridging linguistic and cultural gaps, and addressing difficulties with learning English.