Translanguaging as a Resource for Teaching and Assessment:

Abstract

The scant research on translanguaging in teaching and assessment in senior high school contexts in the Philippines prompted this research to explore the perception of teachers of classes where English is the required medium of instruction. The present study investigated the perspectives of 24 senior high school (SHS) English teachers in a focus group discussion from selected schools in Region VI-A, Philippines and 65 SHS teachers who completed a survey questionnaire adapted and modified from the studies of Nambisan (2014) and Turnbull (2018). Findings reveal that the participants leverage translanguaging as a resource to help students in knowledge construction, problem-solving, and meaning-making. In addition, the participants allow translanguaging in formative assessment but not in summative assessment tasks. This paper argues for the need to explore the role of translanguaging in teaching and assessment to ensure equity for all students.

Translanguaging and teacher authority

“…Translanguaging and teacher authority also connect with assessment. Plata and Macawile (2022) found that teachers are willing to incorporate translanguaging into their formative (initial, explorative) but not summative (final, mark-based) assessments. Jaspers (2018) tells us that regardless of how much we embrace translanguaging, students continue to be formally assessed based on monolingualism and academic language.…”