HUONG VU (MAHASARAKHAM UNIVERSITY)

REDEFINING LANGUAGE LEARNING: THE ROLE OF TRANSLANGUAGING IN ACADEMIC WRITING IN VIETNAMESE HIGH SCHOOLS : PLURILINGUALISM AND TRANSLANGUAGING

Academic writing is an essential component of the development of critical thinking, practical communication skills, and academic growth. In Vietnam, however, high school students struggle to develop their skills in this area. There is insufficient research into the use of translanguaging as a learning scaffold for teaching writing. This study aims to investigate the impact of the translanguaging approach on the academic writing abilities of high school students and to bridge the gap between educational policy and the practical reality of writing instruction. The study was conducted with four English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers from four different secondary schools in Lam Dong province, Vietnam. Data collection methods include classroom observations, field notes, and semi-structured interviews. These data were then analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach. Findings revealed that all participating teachers have a positive attitude toward the use of translanguaging practices in classrooms, especially the incorporation of the first language (L1) into the second language (L2) and the content learning of students. The results show that translanguaging benefits teaching and learning academic writing in Vietnamese high schools, calling into question the prevailing top-down English-only policy in academic writing education. These findings provide valuable insights into the role of translanguaging in improving academic writing skills and call for a re-evaluation of current language policy in the educational environment.

Huong Vu, an English teacher at Thang Long High School for the Gifted for 25 years, has studied in Sweden (M.A., 2010) and Singapore (2011). A VietTESOL team leader, reviewer, facilitator, and speaker, she attends various conferences and is currently a Ph.D. student in Thailand.