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Issues in Educational Research, 2022, Vol 32(3), 871-886.
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Supporting English teaching in Thailand by accepting translanguaging: Views from Thai university teachers

Eric A. Ambele
Mahasarakham University, Thailand

Translanguaging pedagogy has recently been given a lot of attention within tertiary institutions; however, there has been a paucity of research on Thai teachers' perceptions of this issue. This study therefore adds to existing literature by examining Thai university EFL teachers' views on classroom translanguaging and its adoption at tertiary institutions. Data was collected from 10 Thai EFL teachers across 5 universities in Thailand through classroom observation, field notes and semi-structured interviews, and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The data revealed that the teachers all showed a generally positive attitude towards classroom translanguaging practices (i.e. the use of learners' L1 in the classroom) for L2 and content learning. Moreover, they reported that it is seemingly difficult to completely dismiss the learners' L1 (Thai) in Thai classrooms where English is used as the medium of instruction. Implications for practice, policy and research are highlighted, as well as limitations.
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Author: Eric A. Ambele is a lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mahasarakham University, Thailand. He holds a PhD in applied linguistics and is the author/co-author of numerous articles and book chapters, most recently, The development and changing roles in Thai ELT classroom: From English to Englishes (2021). His research interests focus on global Englishes-awareness pedagogy, translanguaging, English medium instruction, language and identity, sociolinguistic variation, psycholinguistics, teacher education and development, discourse analysis and intercultural language teaching and learning.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2206-8746
Email: eric.a@msu.ac.th

Please cite as: Ambele, E. A. (2022). Supporting English teaching in Thailand by accepting translanguaging: Views from Thai university teachers. Issues in Educational Research, 32(3), 871-886. http://www.iier.org.au/iier32/ambele.pdf


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