Translanguaging Realities: The Use of First Language in Microteaching Practices vs. Young Learner Classrooms

Abstract

This study focuses on language teacher education and adopts the microanalytic lens of conversation analysis to analyze the use of L1 (students’ first language) in microteaching and real classroom teaching practices of pre-service English teachers (PSETs), specifically in young learner classrooms. The use of L1 is approached from a translanguaging perspective. Translanguaging refers to the use of the entire linguistic repertoire without separating languages, promoting multilingualism and leveraging students’ linguistic resources for deeper comprehension and enhancing meaning-making (Canagarajah, 2011, Garcia & Wei, 2014, 2015). The research design involves three groups of participants: pre-service English teachers, in-service preschool teachers, and young learners aged from 4 to 6. Data consists of the video recordings of micro-teaching sessions at a state university in Turkey and video recordings of actual classroom teaching sessions by the same PSETs in a young learner classroom. The video-recorded data is transcribed using the Jefferson system of transcription. The analysis shows that in microteaching, where students have advanced English proficiency, L1 is rarely used and activities progress smoothly in the target language. However, in real young learner classrooms, students tend to use L1 more often which leads to disruption of the progressivity of the activities. The findings suggest the need for teachers to make principled decisions regarding their use of L1 and their acceptance of students’ L1 use. Teacher education programs should address the differences between microteaching and real classroom contexts to prepare teachers for managing translanguaging practices effectively.