Examining Translanguaging Tendencies of Turkish Prospective Teachers of English Through Self-Reported Language Mixing Practices

• Published in: Pegem eğitim ve öğretim dergisi = Pegem journal of education and instruction Vol. 15; no. 2; p. 139
• Main Authors: Taş, Tunay, İsmail Hakkı Mirici
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ankara Pegem Akademi Yayincilik Egitim Danismanlik Hizmetleri Tic. Ltd. Sti 01.01.2025
• ISSN: 2146-0655; 2148-239X
• DOI: 10.47750/pegegog.15.10.14

Translanguaging could be a valuable pedagogical tool for prospective teachers of English, enabling them to utilise their linguistic multi-competence repertoire in diverse contexts. In this line, this study examines the translanguaging tendencies of Turkish prospective teachers of English, with a focus on their self-reported inter-sentential, intra-sentential, and general language-mixing practices. Using the Language Mixing Questionnaire, data were collected from 76 participants and analysed quantitatively through descriptive statistics as well as within- and between-subject comparisons. Findings reveal a contextual preference, in which L1 Turkish dominates formal and informal communicative instances, whilst L2 English is largely restricted to formal settings like education. Proportional language use further underlines this divide, with Turkish comprising 74.8% and English 25.2% of interactions. A nuanced directional preference is observed for the within-subject comparison, as participants are more likely to borrow L2 English words when speaking L1 Turkish than vice versa, reflecting a cross-linguistic pattern shaped by translanguaging’s dynamic and fluid nature. As for the between-subject comparison, there is no significant gender-specific differences in language-mixing practices. Additionally, participants report various functional reasons for their language-mixing practices, emphasising communicative and pedagogical dimensions of translanguaging as a cross-linguistic tool.