Translanguaging as a Transformative Act in a Reading Classroom: Perspectives from a Bangladeshi Private University

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigated the role of translanguaging pedagogy in reading comprehension of first-year students studying in an English medium classroom of a Bangladeshi private university. Data were collected through classroom observations, pedagogical intervention, focus group discussion with students and a semi-structured interview with the class teacher. The notions of ”translanguaging space” and ”critical instances” were used to analyse the data. The results show that the translanguaging space provided scope in each step of the intervention to maximise the use of the linguistic and semiotic resources of students, putting them at ease, and enhancing epistemic access to and comprehension of complicated English texts. The purposeful design of the lecture, including scaffolding with multilingual words and expressions, and guided reading with Bangla text and topics pertaining to students’ lives, engaged them deeply with the content, while also transforming knowledge and subjectivities about the given topic.