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Pedagogical translanguaging as exclusionary practice?

An exploratory study of the experiences and practices of language-minoritized EMI students in Turkey

ORCiD logo with link | Bahçeşehir University
ORCiD logo with link | University of Oxford
ORCiD logo with link | University of Nottingham
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University of Oxford.

Published online: 18 June 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jemi.25023.kho
Abstract
With the dramatic rise of English-medium instruction (EMI) worldwide, questions have been raised about the role of languages other than English for content delivery and communication. A growing body of research has employed a translanguaging lens to examine the dynamic use of multilingual resources in these intrinsically bi/multilingual settings. However, translanguaging studies in EMI higher education have largely focused on the practices and perceptions of lecturers and students who share a first language. Much less is known about the experiences of language-minoritized students. Thus, this study explored pedagogical translanguaging practices and the experiences of language-minoritized, international students at a Turkish university, and compared them to those of Turkish home students. Qualitative data were collected via classroom observations, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that, while most home students held a positive view of pedagogical translanguaging, the language-minoritized students felt frustrated, excluded, and discriminated against by translanguaging practices in class. Still, language-minoritized students reported using translanguaging for collective thinking and reasoning, which empowered them in their EMI learning. By magnifying the experiences of language-minoritized students, this study calls attention to issues of pedagogical translanguaging and social justice in EMI universities and offers implications for creating more linguistically inclusive classrooms.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Literature review
    • Pedagogical translanguaging v. translanguaging pedagogy
    • Translanguaging and sociocultural theory
    • Translanguaging in EMI contexts
    • The Turkish context
  • Methodology
    • Participants and settings
    • Data collection
    • Data analysis
    • Ethics
  • Results
    • Observed translanguaging practices (RQ1)
    • Reported translanguaging practices (RQ1)
    • Perceptions and attitudes towards translanguaging (RQ2)
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • References
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