Jul 2026· English Education· Vol 60, pp. 260 - 277· 0 citations· 45 references
Abstract
ABSTRACT Religious language is often overlooked in English education, where effective teaching is commonly associated with linguistic proficiency and secular, English-dominant norms. While multilingual pedagogy recognises learners’ cultural and linguistic resources, the interpersonal role of religious expressions in English classrooms remains underexplored. This study examined how religious registers function as pedagogical resources in multilingual English instruction through the lens of Systemic Functional Linguistics, focusing on tenor as the dimension of social relations, authority, and alignment. A qualitative case study involved four Indonesian multilingual pre-service English teachers during practicum. Data from classroom recordings, stimulated recall interviews, and field notes were transcribed and analysed. Findings showed three recurring patterns: all participants used greetings or prayer openings to soften authority while maintaining control; three participants responded to religious expressions to reduce anxiety and sustain participation; and all participants used religious closings to affirm students’ identities and belonging. The study shows that religious registers can support engagement, inclusion, and pedagogical legitimacy in culturally grounded English classrooms.
Despite the growing recognition of multilingualism as a pedagogical resource in English Language Teaching (ELT) settings, English language teachers in Nepal are still in a dilemma in the implementation of multi/translingual pedagogical practices in their classrooms. The study aims to explore Nepalese secondary-level English language teachers' beliefs on linguistic hybridity along with their experiences of navigating sociopolitical and institutional constraints in practice. The study employed narrative inquiry as a research design. Two secondary-level English language teachers teaching at the multilingual public schools of Itahari sub-metropolitan city, Sunsari, were selected as a sample by using a purposive sampling strategy. Using in-depth interviews as a research tool, the participants were interviewed individually. The data was recorded, transcribed, coded, categorized, and thematically analyzed. The study revealed a complex tension between multilingual pedagogical realities and monolingual institutional expectations. The study further explored that English language teachers perceived translanguaging as a practical, inclusive, and context-responsive pedagogy that enhances comprehension, engagement, and confidence. However, teachers experience guilt, self-doubt, and professional insecurity due to internalized monolingual norms that equate English-only instruction with quality teaching. Furthermore, the study found that systemic barriers such as lack of policy clarity, institutional support, parental aspirations for English, prescriptive curricula, and lack of training remain barriers in the implementation of multi/translingual practices in ELT classrooms. The study concludes that linguistic hybridity functions both as a pedagogical resource and an ideological site of struggle in Nepalese ELT settings. The study calls for policy reform, multilingual teacher education, and assessment practices that legitimize multilingual teaching strategies in the classrooms.
Khem Raj Rauteda· Journal of Janta Multiple Ca...· 0 citations
This study investigates how Vietnamese culture is integrated into English Language Teaching (ELT) by examining teachers' perceptions, classroom practices, and the challenges they encounter in Vietnamese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. Drawing on individual interviews and classroom observations with 10 Vietnamese EFL teachers, the study found that teachers viewed local culture as a valuable pedagogical resource for connecting English learning with students' identities, experiences, and everyday lives. Integrating Vietnamese culture encouraged learner engagement, enabled students to express their own cultural knowledge through English, and supported teachers' understanding of learners' sociocultural backgrounds. Classroom practices included using local festivals, authentic cultural materials, stories, and role-playing activities to make English learning more meaningful and contextually relevant. However, teachers also faced challenges related to cultural sensitivity, limited access to locally grounded English-language resources, and difficulties in translating culturally embedded meanings across languages. The findings further indicate that although Vietnamese culture was regularly incorporated into lessons, classroom discussions often emphasized cultural description rather than interpretation and critical reflection. The study argues that the value of local culture integration lies not simply in including local content but in promoting intercultural learning through dialogue, interpretation, and engagement with multiple cultural perspectives.
Jasmine Sapul, M. Ulla, S. Busbus· Intercultural Communication...· 0 citations
Nepal’s English classrooms are linguistically and culturally diverse, yet English-only orientations continue to influence English language teaching. This study explores how secondary-level English teachers negotiate learners’ first language (L1) and local cultural knowledge in English teaching and how they perceive the contribution of these resources to learners’ comprehension, participation, interaction, and meaning-making. A qualitative narrative inquiry was conducted with three experienced secondary-level English teachers from public schools in Nepal. Data were generated through three in-depth narrative interview sessions with each participant, conducted mainly in Nepali, transcribed, translated into English where necessary, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis while retaining attention to the narrative context of teachers’ accounts. The findings show that teachers used L1 selectively according to learners’ English proficiency, lesson difficulty, pedagogical purpose, and classroom circumstances. Nepali was used to explain difficult concepts, clarify linguistic differences, check understanding, facilitate interaction, and encourage participation. Local cultural knowledge, including familiar foods, festivals, community practices, and everyday experiences, was used to connect unfamiliar English content with learners’ prior knowledge and create meaningful opportunities for English communication. Rather than viewing L1 as an alternative to English, teachers described it as a temporary and purposeful mediational resource that could facilitate learners’ engagement with English. However, they also recognized that excessive reliance on L1 could limit learners’ opportunities to encounter and use English. The study thus conceptualizes multilingual English teaching as a process of pedagogical negotiation rather than adherence to a fixed English–L1 ratio. By bringing together L1 use, local cultural knowledge, and teacher agency, the study contributes a context-sensitive account of how Nepalese English teachers mobilize learners’ existing linguistic and cultural resources while maintaining English as the principal target of instruction. The findings underscore the importance of teacher education that develops teachers’ capacity to make purposeful, context-sensitive linguistic and cultural choices in linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms.
Bibash Thapa, Sujita Upadhayaya· A Peer Reviewed Journal on S...· 0 citations
The debate between monolingual English-medium instruction (EMI) and multilingual pedagogy has gained increasing attention in multilingual societies, where English functions as a global lingua franca. At the same time, local languages hold cultural and cognitive value. This study examines students' perspectives on English-medium and multilingual instruction through a qualitative, praxis-oriented investigation conducted at Pak-Turk Marif International School and The City School, Hyderabad, Pakistan. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and reflective written responses from ESL students (n = 10). Guided by a praxis framework and informed by translingual theory and critical pedagogy, the study moves from identifying a classroom-based issue to generating contextual evidence, analyzing student responses, and reflecting on pedagogical implications. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, which allowed key patterns to emerge from the students' experiences. The findings reveal a clear preference for multilingual pedagogy, with ( n=7) participants favoring the use of multiple languages to enhance comprehension, inclusivity, and engagement. In contrast,(n=3) respondents supported EMI, primarily for reasons of consistency and English language development. Importantly, even among EMI supporters, English was viewed as an instrumental resource rather than an inherently superior medium of cognition. The study demonstrates that multilingual pedagogical practices better align with students’ learning needs and socio-cultural contexts. The study argues for flexible, context-sensitive language practices that integrate English without marginalizing local languages. It also opens new gates for future research.
Shuhban Ali Siyal, Sajid Ali Umrani, M. Farooq et al.· Journal of Arts and Linguist...· 0 citations
Language textbooks do more than facilitate linguistic development; they also mediate learners’ encounters with the cultural communities represented through the target language. This role becomes particularly significant in advanced foreign-language education, where learners are expected to engage critically with complex social, political, and cultural representations. This qualitative study examines how advanced learners of Arabic perceived and negotiated cultural representations in Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya, Part Three, with particular attention to whether the textbook challenged or reinforced pre-existing stereotypes about Arab cultures. The study draws on focus-group data collected from eight advanced American learners of Arabic specializing in diplomacy and politics at a language center in Rabat, Morocco. Participants had extensive experience using the textbook during their advanced Arabic studies. The focus-group discussion was audio-recorded, transcribed, anonymized, and subjected to iterative qualitative content analysis. Findings indicate a complex relationship between textbook representation and learner perception. Participants acknowledged the textbook’s contribution to introducing cultural, historical, and political issues related to the Arab world, yet they also perceived some representations as insufficiently diverse or critically contextualized. Rather than consistently disrupting pre-existing assumptions, certain representations were perceived as potentially confirming simplified understandings of Arab societies. Learners particularly emphasized the need for greater regional diversity, authentic voices, contemporary perspectives, sustained self-reflection, and opportunities for direct intercultural engagement. The findings suggest that cultural representation in advanced language textbooks should move beyond exposure to cultural information toward pedagogical practices that actively encourage learners to interrogate, reassess, and complicate their prior assumptions. The study contributes to discussions of textbook evaluation, intercultural learning, and cultural representation in Arabic-as-a-foreign-language education.
Jaouhara Elmzandi· International Journal of Lan...· 0 citations
This study examines how bilingual EFL teachers in Saudi higher education perceive and negotiate their professional identities while teaching monolingual Arabic-speaking students in English-only institutional settings. Grounded in poststructuralist identity, translanguaging, and language ideology theories, the research explores the intersection of pedagogy, identity, and institutional regulation in post-monolingual EFL classrooms. Using a qualitative multiple-case study design, data were collected from 10 bilingual instructors at 3 universities through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and reflective teaching journals over a 6-week period. The data were thematically analysed to enable coding, triangulation, and cross-case comparison. Findings show that teachers strategically used Arabic to scaffold complex content, maintain learner engagement, and address the affective dimensions of teaching, while navigating English-only policy constraints through selective compliance and subtle resistance. Reflective journals revealed identity dissonance stemming from tensions between pedagogical beliefs and institutional expectations, with reflection serving as a mechanism for ethical sense-making and professional resilience. Rather than passive policy implementers, the teachers emerged as reflexive practitioners who constructed professional identity through translanguaging, emotional reflexivity, and adaptive pedagogy. The study highlights the need for institutional policies that recognise and support teachers’ multilingual repertoires in Saudi EFL contexts.
В статье рассматривается проблема формирования и согласования профессиональной идентичности билингвальных преподавателей английского языка как иностранного в системе высшего образования Саудовской Аравии. Особое внимание уделяется условиям преподавания монолингвальным институциональной среде, арабоязычным ориентированной на студентам в использование исключительно английского языка. Теоретико-методологическую основу исследования составили постструктуралистские подходы к изучению идентичности, концепция транслингвизма и теория языковых идеологий. В центре анализа находится взаимосвязь педагогической практики, профессиональной идентичности преподавателя и институционального регулирования в постмонолингвальной образовательной аудитории. Исследование выполнено в логике качественного множественного кейс-стади. Эмпирическую базу составили данные, полученные в течение шести недель от 10 билингвальных преподавателей трех университетов. В качестве методов сбора данных использовались полуструктурированные интервью, аудиторные наблюдения и рефлексивные преподавательские дневники. Обработка материалов осуществлялась с применением тематического анализа, включавшего кодирование, триангуляцию данных и межкейсовое сопоставление. Результаты исследования показали, что преподаватели целенаправленно обращались к арабскому языку для объяснения сложного учебного материала, поддержания вовлеченности студентов и работы с эмоционально-аффективными аспектами обучения. При этом они были вынуждены учитывать ограничения институциональной политики «только английский язык», сочетая частичное соблюдение установленных требований с формами скрытого педагогического сопротивления. Анализ рефлексивных дневников позволил выявить диссонанс профессиональной идентичности, возникающий вследствие противоречия между педагогическими убеждениями преподавателей и институциональными ожиданиями. Рефлексия в данном контексте выступала как механизм этического осмысления профессиональной деятельности и поддержания профессиональной устойчивости. Сделан вывод о том, что билингвальные преподаватели не являются пассивными исполнителями языковой политики. Напротив, они выступают как рефлексивные субъекты педагогической практики, конструирующие профессиональную идентичность через транслингвальные стратегии, эмоциональную рефлексивность и адаптивные формы преподавания. Полученные результаты указывают на необходимость разработки институциональных языковых политик, признающих и поддерживающих многоязычные ресурсы преподавателей в контексте обучения английскому языку как иностранному в Саудовской Аравии.
Chowdhury Gaus, Mishu Anjum· Education & Pedagogy Jou...· 0 citations
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