Utility-driven translanguaging among international students in New Zealand higher education

Growing research presents translanguaging as a pedagogical scaffold for multilingual classrooms; however, how students perceive its usefulness for academic success in higher education remains underexplored. This study examines international multilingual students’ perceptions and enactments of translanguaging strategies in New Zealand higher education contexts, applying Situated Expectancy-Value Theory as a theoretical framework. Using self-reported cross-sectional data from 143 students across three degree levels, the study employs a recently validated scale (Neufeld and Zhang Citation2026) alongside strategy-frequency and demographic measures. Hierarchical multiple regression, ANOVAs, and hierarchical cluster analyses enabled the examination of predictors of translanguaging. Results indicated that content utility, the perceived value of translanguaging for academic task completion, was a significant predictor, while social and language utility were not. Doctoral students reported significantly higher strategy use than undergraduates. This finding remained significant after implementing controls. Hierarchical cluster analysis yielded three archetypes: Minimalists, Pragmatists, and Enthusiasts. Findings suggest that reported use of translanguaging strategies in higher education may be a cognitively-driven practice associated with advanced academic study and perceived content-related utility. Further, the Pragmatist cluster may be the norm among international multilinguals in English-medium university settings, suggesting conditional use rather than overt incorporation or outright rejection.