CHRISTINA JUNG (HANKUK UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN STUDIES)

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: EXPERIENCES OF ENJOYMENT THROUGH TRANSLANGUAGING IN KOREAN TERTIARY EFL CLASSROOMS : PLURILINGUALISM AND TRANSLANGUAGING

As more scholars examine the role of emotions in English-as-a-Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, it has become evident that translanguaging’s connection to Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) has not been properly investigated. Thus far, the research conducted on FLE has been predominantly quantitative accounts of the benefits of fostering FLE in language learning classrooms. Research on translanguaging, as a theory and pedagogical approach, has had a specific agenda of challenging the traditional views of language learning and instruction. This paper attempted to uncover FLE in translanguaging practice using an interpretative qualitative approach and connect FLE with translanguaging advocacy. We discovered how Korean students in tertiary institutions had a positive experience in a translanguaging space, many of whom reported lower rates of anxiety and higher instances of motivation. From their accounts, we found evidence to show how improving the quality of language education in Korea begins at the emotional level: that expanding one’s linguistic repertoire through translanguaging correlates with higher reports of foreign language learning enjoyment.

Dr. Christina Dahee Jung is an Associate Professor in the Department of ELLT at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, Republic of Korea. She has been teaching in Korea for almost 20 years. Dr. Jung’s research interests include multiculturalism in South Korea, translanguaging practices at home and school, environmental education in the EFL context, and language learning motivation.