Attitudes of L2 vs. L3 / L3+ Learners to Translanguaging Pedagogies in Turkish University Context

The present mixed-method study aims to explore and compare the attitudes of L2 and L3 learners to Translanguaging pedagogies (TP) from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. TP refer to cross-linguistic teaching strategies such as translation, comparison of languages, and shifting between multiple languages and cultures. The participants/students (N=157) were selected through convenient sampling and were learners of English (N=92) or Russian (N=13) as a foreign language (FL) or Turkish (N=52) as a second language (SL) in a Turkish university. The quantitative data were collected from a questionnaire developed by the researcher and were analyzed through the Kruskal–Wallis H test. The qualitative data collected from semi-structured interviews and graphic elicitation tasks were analyzed through content and visual analysis using the CLAN (Computerized Language Analysis) Program. The findings indicated that in terms of their attitudes to TP, there is no significant difference between L3 and L3+ learners, however, L2 vs. L3/L3+ learners are quantitatively and qualitatively different. Statistically, L2 learners prefer the inclusion of one and two languages significantly more than L3/L3+ learners, who instead, favor three and more languages in class. The qualitative findings revealed that L2 learners preferred the integration of target languages (TL) only or a combination of Native languages (NL) and TL. Including third languages was not favored due to confusion and distraction from TL. However, L3/L3+ learners find three or more languages in class useful because they learn better, can find connections faster between languages and thus overcome the difficulties of TL. Based on the findings, pedagogical implications were suggested at the end of the study.