Translanguaging, motivation, learning, and intercultural citizenship among EMI students: A structural equation modelling analysis

Abstract

<p>Supporting students' flexible use of multiple languages (translanguaging) in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/english-medium-instruction" title="Learn more about English medium instruction from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">English medium instruction</a> (EMI) classrooms might affect students' learning motivation, content and language learning, intercultural competence and intercultural citizenship. Such effect of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/translanguaging" title="Learn more about translanguaging from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">translanguaging</a> remains underexamined due to a predominance of qualitative inquiries in prior studies. In <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/mainland-china" title="Learn more about mainland China from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">mainland China</a>, 705 university students with EMI <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/learning-experience" title="Learn more about learning experiences from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">learning experiences</a> completed our surveys. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/structural-equation-modeling" title="Learn more about Structural equation modelling from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Structural equation modelling</a> showed that among these students, those who received teacher <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/translanguaging" title="Learn more about translanguaging from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">translanguaging</a> instruction have better attitudes toward translanguaging (total effect [TE] =.284), greater motivation (TE =.352), and greater engagement (TE =.352). Students with greater motivation reported learning more content (TE =.339). Students with greater engagement reported learning more English (TE =.805) and more content (TE =.470). All of these are linked to greater intercultural competence (flexibility/openness, personal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/autonomy" title="Learn more about autonomy from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">autonomy</a>, and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/intercultural-communication" title="Learn more about intercultural communication from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">intercultural communication</a> awareness), which in turn is linked to greater intercultural citizenship (respectively, TEs =.327;.313;.297). These findings show multiple paths from teacher translanguaging instruction to intercultural citizenship, raising the possibility of various supports for translanguaging via different paths at multiple levels. The study provides empirical support for teachers and curriculum developers to create EMI learning environments with flexible <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/language-ideology" title="Learn more about language ideologies from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">language ideologies</a>.</p>