Unfolding University Instructors’ Perspectives on Translanguaging Practices in English Medium Instruction at a Polish University: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

Imparting content through the medium of a foreign language is a phenomenon that has grown exponentially in tertiary education all over the world. English, which has an established status of a lingua franca worldwide, stimulates academic internationalisation of universities. Consequently, educational institutions with English medium of instruction are more favoured by students. As a result, English competes with Polish as the medium of instruction in Poland. The choice to use English exclusively in English-medium instruction courses results from methodological assumptions underscoring the exclusive use of English; therefore, it might seem unnatural to notice the translanguaging pedagogy being employed. On the other hand, bilingual and multilingual speakers may draw upon all their languages (e.g., Polish and English) to express their thoughts, make meaning in their situated social context and achieve specific goals. This study explores lecturers’ perceptions of translanguaging in a Polish higher education institution offering English-medium instruction programmes. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, this research revealed that instructors supported the use of various translanguaging strategies to create a ‘translanguaging space’ for content learning. The use of many of the students’ linguistic repertoires implied that several questions on terminology and content arose, leading to reflections, discussions and ultimately greater, deeper understanding of the content. Through the application of focus group discussions, the lecturers unfolded their perspectives on translanguaging in English-medium instruction courses, which revealed a collective and metalinguistic reflection, facilitating a co-construction of knowledge, meaning and understanding.