Translanguaging Practices In A Chinese University EMI Classroom

Responding to the “multilingual turn” in education recently,many international EMI(English as medium of instruction)researchers have adopted a translanguaging perspective to interpret how teachers and students construct meaning.However,there is little research on teachers’ and students’ translanguaging practices and attitudes in Chinese university EMI classrooms.Consequently,by conducting classroom observation on 1 teacher and 26 Business English majors in a Chinese university EMI classroom and giving questionnaire to the students,this study aims to answer these questions:(1)What are the functions of translanguaging practices in a Chinese university EMI classroom?(2)What are students’ attitudes towards such translanguaging practices in this Chinese university EMI classroom?By using Multimodal Discourse Analysis and the Scheme for Educational Dialogue Analysis in classroom observation data and quantitative analysis in questionnaire data,this study found:(1)Teacher’s and students’ translanguaging practices were conducted to achieve the functions of cognitive engagement(e.g.,invite or give speculation based on other’s contribution,explain the meaning of some concepts,explain similarity,etc.),social-affective engagement(e.g.,show appreciation or encouragement or sympathy,ask or express feelings,ease anxiety,etc.)and classroom management(e.g.,designate others to answer questions,check equipment to ensure normal interaction,give classroom instructions for a thinking activity,assign homework and say goodbye to end the class,etc.).(2)Students generally held neutral-to-positive attitudes towards translanguaging practices.Some implications of translanguaging practices for domestic education authorities,schools,teachers and students are given at last.