Translanguaging in ELT Classrooms : A Systematic Literature Review of Effects and Perceptions Regarding Translanguaging

Sammanfattning: This systematic literature review investigates translanguaging in ELT.Previous findings on effects, teachers’ perceptions and students’ perceptionsare investigated and reported in this review, as well as systemized in order toenhance the understanding of translanguaging, its use in the ELT classroomand perceptions of the concept. Ten articles from varying countries wereselected for this systematic literature review. The studies included wereconducted using different research methods and with varying approaches tothe term translanguaging. The observed effects of translanguaging weregenerally positive and the findings indicate that translanguaging is beneficialto students’ communicative skills and comprehension, increasingparticipation and confidence, as well as providing additional support forlower proficiency students. However, the findings also show translanguagingto have negligible effects when it comes to the actual language skills of thestudents. Furthermore, both teacher and student perceptions oftranslanguaging presented mixed opinions. While several teachers seetranslanguaging as a resource, many see languages as mutually exclusive andopt not to include the use of any languages other than the target languages.Students are shown to consider their linguistic resources important, but theyare hesitant to use translanguaging out of fear that it will be an obstacle totheir target language learning opportunities. Lacking professional trainingand institutional support for translanguaging is clearly visible in the findingsof both teacher and student perceptions. Further research is necessary inorder to generalize results and obtain findings applicable to ELT in aSwedish upper secondary school context.