"Why Did I Use Chinese Then?":Exploring A Chinese Middle-school EFL Teacher’s Translanguaging Practices

In recent years,there has been a surge of empirical studies exploring translanguaging in diverse contexts.Despite a thorough examination of the factors influencing a teacher’s use of their first language(L1)in the classroom,teachers may still face challenges in determining when and why to appropriately incorporate L1 into their instructional practices.As a result,there remains a dearth of understanding concerning how English-as-a-Foreign-Language(EFL)teachers strike a balance between utilizing the first language(L1)and target language(in this case,English)in the classroom from a translanguaging perspective.Therefore,this study aims to examine how and why Chinese middle school teachers use their students’ L1 in EFL classrooms despite the English-only norm.Based on a qualitative case study of a seventh-grade English teacher over one semester,it answers two research questions:(1)how was L1(Chinese)used in the EFL classroom?(2)what were the principle of using L1 from the teacher’s perspective?Data include classroom observation with audio recordings,field notes,and stimulated-recall interviews of the teacher participant.This study identifies six key situations of teachers’ L1 use,categorized under three functions:facilitating understanding and clarifying difficult concepts for students(cognitive),fostering students’ learning attitudes and reducing anxiety(affective),and increasing students’ participation and engagement(behavioral).The findings also indicate that the teacher’s decision to incorporate L1 in the classroom is driven by their commitment to the effectiveness of instruction,the inclusiveness of learning community,and the overall development of bi/multilingual learners.Consequently,the principles underpinning teachers’ language choice are rooted in their intrinsic educational objectives.This research highlights the benefits of teacher’s L1 use and calls for teacher autonomy in language choice.The study also offers insights for effective instructional language in EFL classrooms.