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Description
This study presents a systematic review of translanguaging practices in Thai EFL classrooms. Drawing on García et al. (2017) ’s strands of translanguaging and Cenoz and Gorter’s (2021) model, it synthesizes 13 empirical studies published between 2009 and 2025. Findings show that EFL teachers widely adopt resource-oriented stances and employ flexible classroom shifts, while structured metalinguistic activities and integrated language curricula remain limited. Translanguaging is expanding, yet continues to operate within an English-dominant educational system.
Abstract section 1: Relevance
Translanguaging has gained increasing attention in Thai EFL, where teachers and students routinely navigate between English, Standard Thai, and regional dialects. Despite this growing body of research, existing studies remain fragmented, often focusing on isolated classroom cases without offering a comprehensive synthesis of how translanguaging is pedagogically enacted. Furthermore, little is known about how Thai EFL teachers’ beliefs, instructional planning, and moment-to-moment classroom decisions align with established international frameworks of pedagogical translanguaging. Addressing this gap is crucial for understanding whether translanguaging in Thailand represents a transformative pedagogical shift or remains a pragmatic response within an English-hegemony educational structure.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
Findings reveal that Thai EFL teachers predominantly adopt resource-oriented and cognitive-scaffolding stances, frequently employing translanguaging shifts to clarify content and build rapport. Structured translanguaging designs are emerging, particularly in intervention-based studies; however, cross-modal practices often continue to position English as the ultimate evaluative language. Use of the whole linguistic repertoire is the most pervasive, while metalinguistic awareness activities are limited, and integrated language curricula remain absent at institutional levels. Overall, translanguaging in Thai EFL classrooms appears to be expanding as a practical and ideological orientation. However, it continues to operate within systemic constraints shaped by English-dominant assessment and policy structures.
Abstract section 3: Content/method
This review synthesizes empirical translanguaging research published between 2009 and 2025. Following PRISMA, 13 peer-reviewed studies were selected from six international and national databases. Inclusion criteria required empirical focus on Thai EFL contexts and involvement of teachers’ perceptions or practices. Data were analyzed using thematic synthesis and interpreted through García et al.’s (2017) and Cenoz and Gorter’s (2021) frameworks. This dual-framework approach enabled both micro-level analysis of classroom practice and macro-level evaluation of pedagogical alignment.
Abstract section 5: References
Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2021). Pedagogical translanguaging. Cambridge University Press.
García, O., Ibarra Johnson, S., & Seltzer, K. (2017). The translanguaging classroom. Caslon.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
- What are the Thai EFL instructors’ translanguaging stance, design, and shift manifested in the Thai EFL classrooms?
- How do the Thai EFL instructors implement translanguaging according to Cenoz and Gorter’s (2021) translanguaging framework (enhancing metalinguistic awareness, use of the whole linguistic repertoire, and an integrated language curriculum)?
| Title | Teacher Translanguaging in Thai EFL: A Systematic Review |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | College and university education |