Abstract
As the phenomenon of English-Medium Instruction (EMI) gains momentum in Italian higher education, questions arise as to the relationship between English and the local language in formal educational settings. What still seems to prevail, at least at a formal level, is an approach that favours the exclusive use of English over Italian. This implicitly supports the consolidated yet contested idea that content learning is best promoted through monolingual pedagogical practices (Doiz & Lasagabaster, 2017). An English-only approach is also what seems to characterise the EMI provision of the university where the current study was conducted and where, despite the growing number of programmes now offered through English, no official language policy has been developed yet regarding classroom language use.
The present paper addresses the relationship between English and the use of the local language by offering insights on translanguaging practices (García, 2009) as adopted by EMI students. The paper first looks at student perceptions of translanguaging through the analysis of semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The analysis of the responses given by the 40 participants in the study shows that translanguaging is indeed activated on the part of both lecturers and students. Yet, the adoption of these practices seems to generate mixed feelings depending on the nature and aim of the activity and the number and type of interlocutors involved. The paper then draws on the analysis of the transcripts of a selection of EMI classes to unveil the activation of translanguaging practices, with special attention given to students’ communicative aims. The analysis highlights that flexibility in classroom language use can be beneficial both at a cognitive level, promoting deeper understanding of the contents, and at a social level, strengthening cooperation among peers (Dalziel & Guarda, 2021). Based on this, the paper concludes by suggesting possible future directions to raise lecturers’ and students’ awareness of the positive pedagogical implications that translanguaging may have in EMI teaching and learning.
References:
Dalziel, F. and Guarda, M. (2021). Student Translanguaging Practices in the EMI Classroom: A Study of Italian Higher Educatio. In B.A. Paulsrud, Z. Tian & J. Toth (Eds.), English-Medium Instruction and Translanguaging: Global Perspectives. Multilingual Matters, 124-140.
Doiz, A. & Lasagabaster, D. (2017). Teachers’ beliefs about translanguaging practices. In C.M. Mazak & K.S. Carroll (Eds.), Translanguaging in Higher Education (pp. 157-176). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
García, O. (2009). Education, multilingualism and translanguaging in the 21st century. In A. Mohanty, M. Panda, R. Phillipson & T. Skutnabb-Kangas (Eds.), Multilingual education for social justice: Globalising the local (pp. 140-158). New Delhi: Orient Blackswan.