Translanguaging strategy for teaching english to indigenous ninth grade students.

Abstract

This study examines how translanguaging, understood as a communicative and contextualized pedagogical strategy, supports English language learning among ninth-grade students at Institución Educativa Indígena Guaimí, an indigenous educational setting in San Antonio de Palmito, Sucre. The research followed a qualitative descriptive-interpretive design aimed at analyzing students’ perceptions and classroom practices related to the use of Spanish and English in the learning process. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview with eight students and three classroom observations focused on English lessons. The information was analyzed through open coding, axial coding, and triangulation. Four analytical categories emerged: Cognitive and Functional Support of Spanish, Mental Translation and Linguistic Mediation, Confidence, Participation, and Learning Strategies, and Relationship Between English, Culture, and Community. Findings revealed that translanguaging functioned as a meaningful pedagogical resource that facilitated comprehension, enhanced participation, strengthened students’ confidence, and connected English learning with their cultural identity and community context. The study suggests that translanguaging can contribute to more inclusive, context-sensitive, and pedagogically relevant English teaching practices in indigenous educational settings while recognizing students’ linguistic and cultural resources as valuable assets for language learning.