Translanguaging Space in the Academic English Reading Classroom: Chinese MA Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes

The thesis presents findings from a qualitative study exploring 22 Chinese MA students’ perceptions and attitudes towards a translanguaging space constructed within an EFL (English-as-a-foreign-language) reading classroom at a Chinese university. In this study, a translanguaging space is a pedagogically constructed, learner-centred space where students draw on diverse meaning-making resources to support learning. While translanguaging has been widely explored in EFL research, less attention has been paid to how Chinese MA students experience and engage with translanguaging pedagogy over time. By foregrounding students’ evolving perspectives, the study offers an emic account of how translanguaging pedagogy is co-constructed and perceived in practice. Data were collected over one semester through reflective logs maintained by both participants and the researcher, as well as follow-up semi-structured interviews. Abductive thematic analysis revealed that the translanguaging space was pedagogically and interactionally co-constructed by both the teacher and students. Students expressed positive attitudes towards the space, perceiving it as supportive, inclusive, and empowering. They noted that translanguaging practices enhanced autonomy, strengthened academic confidence, and aligned classroom learning with their personal aspirations for self-actualisation. These findings suggest that the translanguaging space caters to students’ linguistic, cognitive, and emotional needs, regardless of their proficiency levels. Despite limitations in sample size and timeframe, the study makes four key contributions. First, it provides an emic, process-oriented account of how a designated translanguaging space is co-constructed, enacted, and negotiated in a Chinese MA-level EFL reading course. Second, it offers in-depth contextualised insights into translanguaging pedagogical practices in Chinese tertiary EFL classrooms. Third, it adopts a qualitative, reflective design, illustrating the evolving and dynamic development of translanguaging practices over time. Finally, it extends understanding of translanguaging through a humanistic perspective that foregrounds affective dimensions and learner agency while highlighting students as active agents in translanguaging practices. Ultimately, the study responds to calls for a paradigm shift in EFL pedagogy by recognizing translanguaging as a legitimate, inclusive, and empowering practice.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

dprof

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Xiang, Na

• L Addysg (Cyffredinol)
• PE Saesneg

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:4280