The presence of translanguaging and its effect on EFL learners’ languaging opportunities in video-based peer editing

Abstract

Due to the dearth of research on translanguaging in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) collaborative writing, this paper examined the presence of translanguaging in 10 Saudi EFL dyads’ languaging dialogue in video-mediated peer editing in Google Docs and its effect on their production of language-related episodes (LREs). Four hundred seventy-six LREs were identified and categorized into (1) English-only LREs, (2) Arabic-only LREs, and (3) translanguaging LREs (English-Arabic LREs and Arabic-English LREs). The results revealed that translanguaging occurred in 212 LREs (44.5%) while the remaining LREs were produced through English-only (n = 100; 21%) and Arabic-only (n = 164; 34.5%). Moreover, whereas more elaborate LREs were produced through translanguaging (n=151; 31.7%, M=6.29, SD=5.32), more partial LREs (n=68; 4.3%, M=5.66, SD= 5.49) and limited LREs (n=58; 12.2%, M = 4.83, SD=4.06) were produced entirely in Arabic. The dyads produced more lexical (n=108; 22.7%, M=2.54, SD=2.14) and grammatical LREs (n=60; 12.6%, M=4.50, SD=3.63) through translanguaging whereas more mechanical LREs were produced in Arabic (n = 56; 11.8%, M = 4.66, SD = 4.24). Finally, the languaging outcome varied as the dyads successfully resolved more LREs (n=191; 40%, M=8.04, SD=5.09) through translanguaging. The study offers useful implications for creating opportunities for translingual interactions in video-mediated peer editing.