Translanguaging as a strategy in English-medium instruction: A retrospective and prospective view

This study is very relevant and useful for the school teachers to make EMI policy successful with the help of the techniques of translanguaging at school level in Nepal. The research objectives of this study attempted to explore retrospective and prospective views of teachers and to find out lived experiences of teachers on the use of translanguaging strategies while implementing EMI in Science, Mathematics and Social Studies Classes. Hermeneutic phenomenological research design was used to explore the lived reflections of secondary level non-English teachers on the use translanguaging strategies in EMI classes. Six teachers of Science, Social Studies and Mathematics subjects were selected as a sample from 3 community schools through judgmental non-random sampling method in this study. The results of this study revealed that teachers and learners have been using different translanguaging strategies in EMI classes such as L1 as a source of learning strategy, dual modes of medium of instruction, translation, code mixing, and code switching in EMI classes, and ICT as a strategy in EMI classes. Furthermore, it was found that there was lakh of instructional materials to support EMI policies in community schools. Translanguaging has been adopted by the Science, Social Studies and Mathematics teachers to make EMI policy of Government of Nepal successful and effective in community schools. The educational authorities of Local Government should organize workshop, seminar and short-term workshop and training on the techniques of translanguaging to implement the decision of English as a Medium of instruction in community schools in Nepal.