Towards a Sustainable Classroom Ecology: Translanguaging in English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in a Finance Course at an International School in Shanghai

Xiaozhou (Emily) Zhou, Chenke Li and Xuesong (Andy) Gao
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Xiaozhou (Emily) Zhou: School of English Studies, Shanghai International Studies University, 550 West Dalian Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai 200083, China
Chenke Li: School of English Studies, Shanghai International Studies University, 550 West Dalian Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai 200083, China
Xuesong (Andy) Gao: School of Education, University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 19, 1-14

Abstract: Pedagogical translanguaging has emerged as an important strategy facilitating the sustainable use of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in educational settings. This mixed-method study, conducted in an EMI finance classroom at an international school in Shanghai, China, investigates the translanguaging practices of students in classroom interactions as well as their attitudes toward translanguaging as a communicative and pedagogical strategy. Drawing on video-assisted classroom observations and semistructured interviews, this study reveals that the participants’ translanguaging practices are motivated by ease of communication, facilitated by contextual resources, and reflect their strategic maneuvering of the linguistic resources in their repertoires. The data also suggest that the participants are generally positive about translanguaging as an aid in comprehension and for the enhancement of content learning. Some participants, however, expressed reservations about the acceptance of translanguaging as a standard, formal linguistic choice. The findings suggest that EMI teachers should recognize the linguistic resources of students in their entirety and incorporate them into classroom activities to promote biliteracy and the learning of academic content.

Keywords: translanguaging; EMI; international school; pedagogy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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