Teachers’ Pedagogical Reasoning for Translanguaging in Multilingual EFL Classrooms: Evidence from Indonesia

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FORMOSA NEWS - Yogyakarta - Indonesian EFL Teachers Strategically Use Translanguaging to Enhance Student Learning in Multilingual Classrooms. A new study reveals that English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Indonesia deliberately use multiple languages, a practice known as translanguaging, to improve student comprehension and participation. Conducted by researchers Syarifuddin and Ashadi from Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, the study published in the Formosa Journal of Sustainable Research (FJSR) in 2026 demonstrates that mixing languages in the classroom is a sophisticated instructional strategy rather than a random practice. The findings are vital because they challenge traditional monolingual teaching norms by proving that integrating local languages and Bahasa Indonesia helps bridge learning gaps for students with varying levels of English proficiency.

The Dilema of Monolingual Norms in Multilingual Classrooms

In Indonesia, linguistic diversity is an inherent feature of everyday life and classroom environments. Students routinely navigate their local languages and Bahasa Indonesia alongside learning English. Despite this multilingual reality, traditional instructional practices in EFL education heavily prioritize target-language-only or strict monolingual approaches. The long-standing belief has been that maximizing exposure to English is the only path to effective language acquisition. However, this research highlight that rigid monolingual practices often overlook classroom realities. When teachers strictly prohibit the use of a student's native language, lower-proficiency learners frequently experience high anxiety, reduced engagement, and limited understanding. This creates an instructional tension between maintaining mandatory English exposure and ensuring that actual, meaningful learning takes place.

Simplifying the Classroom Method
To understand how educators resolve this linguistic tension, the researchers utilized a qualitative research design with a phenomenological orientation. This specific methodology allowed Syarifuddin and Ashadi to explore the authentic, lived experiences and cognitive decision-making processes of teachers in real classroom settings. The study took place across Indonesian secondary education environments, targeting both general senior high schools and vocational schools. Through purposive sampling, the researchers selected five experienced English teachers who regularly operate within multilingual classrooms.
This research gathered primary data using two main techniques:

• Classroom Observations: The researchers directly documented live teaching practices to examine exactly how and when multiple languages were introduced during lessons.
  
• Semi-Structured Interviews: The authors conducted deep, face-to-face discussions to uncover the pedagogical reasoning and intellectual justifications behind each teacher's language choices.
  

The gathered data underwent rigorous thematic analysis alongside elements of classroom discourse analysis to establish clear, recurring patterns regarding language regulation.

Key Findings: Translanguaging as a Deliberate Tool
The analysis by the Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta research team shows that classroom translanguaging operates as a highly regulated and context-sensitive pedagogical resource. The study identified four major pillars behind the teachers' pedagogical reasoning:

• Cognitive Support for Complex Content. Teachers strategically inject Bahasa Indonesia and local languages to clarify difficult vocabulary, explain abstract grammar rules, and give vital instructional directions. Instead of replacing English, this serves as a cognitive scaffold that allows lower-proficiency students to comprehend the core lesson material while maintaining overall engagement with the target language.
  
• Affective and Interactional Support. Allowing students to draw from their full linguistic repertoire reduces learning anxiety and fosters a sense of comfort and classroom belonging. By removing the fear of making mistakes in English, translanguaging encourages greater student participation and allows learners to express their ideas much more freely.
  
• Inclusive and Differentiated Instruction. Classrooms naturally contain diverse student proficiency levels. The participating teachers used translanguaging as a tool for differentiated instruction. This flexible approach allows struggling students to keep pace with the curriculum while simultaneously providing adequate space for higher-proficiency students to excel in English.
  
• Strategic Pedagogical Control. Crucially, this research discovered that teachers do not use translanguaging without limits. Educators maintain strict pedagogical control, using native languages selectively and purposefully at specific moments such as during a wrap-up or concept clarification to prevent students from becoming overreliant on their first language.
  

Real-World Impact and Educational Policy
The insights generated this research have significant implications for language education policy and teacher training programs. The study underscores that educational institutions and policymakers must stop viewing classroom code-switching or translanguaging as an instructional failure or a deviation from good teaching. As observed by the researchers, managing multiple languages serves as an inclusive mechanism that supports student identity, builds teacher-student relationships, and ensures academic equity.

Author Profiles
Syarifuddin is an educational researcher and scholar at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Indonesia. His primary academic expertise lies in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) methodologies, multilingual education strategies, and secondary school pedagogy.
Ashadi is a senior academic and faculty member at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Indonesia. His research fields focus heavily on teacher cognition, pedagogical decision-making, qualitative research methodologies, and language policy in education.

Source
Syarifuddin & Ashadi 2026, Teachers' Pedagogical Reasoning for Translanguaging in Multilingual EFL Classrooms: Evidence from Indonesia. Formosa Journal of Sustainable Research (FJSR), Vol. 5, No. 4 2026, Halaman 263-270.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/fjsr.v5i4.27
URL: https://journalfjsr.my.id/index.php/fjsr