Pedagogical translanguaging integration into the pre-writing stage in an EMI higher education context

Globalization and technological advancements have expanded human interaction and mobility, leading to increased multilingualism and multiculturalism. In response, English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching approaches have shifted from English-medium instruction (EMI) toward more multilingual approaches, including translanguaging. As a flexible pedagogy, translanguaging has gained growing attention in educational research. Accordingly, this study, an abridged version of a doctoral dissertation (Ceyhan Bingöl, 2024), conducted at the tertiary level in Türkiye, investigates whether there is a significant difference in the paragraph writing performance of English language learners exposed to a pedagogical translanguaging-integrated pre-writing stage and an English-only pre-writing stage in an EMI context at the tertiary level in Türkiye. It also explores the learners’ perceptions of utilizing translanguaging during the pre-writing brainstorming. Employing a quasi-experimental design, this study revealed that integrating pedagogical translanguaging into pre-writing brainstorming had a positive effect on the paragraph writing performance of English language learners, yielding statistically significant differences in overall scores. The findings further revealed that English language learners perceived translanguaging as effective in enhancing their paragraph writing performance, vocabulary learning, grammar development, and collaboration. Overall, the study demonstrates that pedagogical translanguaging serves as an effective educational strategy that promotes paragraph writing within a supportive and collaborative learning environment.