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Article
Translanguaging and reading comprehension in a second language
International Multilingual Research Journal
  • Muhammad Asif Qureshi, Zayed University
  • Ahmad Aljanadbah, Arabic Language and Literature Department
ORCID Identifiers

0000-0003-1644-5760

Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2021
Abstract

The current study examined the impact of translanguaging on second language reading comprehension. The study involved an experimental and a control group. The participants in the experimental group (n = 38) were offered four opportunities to engage Arabic–their first language–in comprehending a text in English. These occasions for translanguaging included: (a) receiving Arabic glosses (i.e., only meaning) for key terms in the text, (b) employing their first language for summarizing four paragraphs from the passage, (c) using their first language in discussion for comparing summaries with peers, and (d) consulting the Arabic meanings (provided) while attempting the vocabulary items. After the aforesaid steps, the participants in this group were required to answer 22 comprehension questions of three types: (a) the main idea, (b) cloze reading, and (c) word/synonyms. The control group (n = 29) completed all the same stages as the experimental group but using their second language, without recourse to the first language. The findings revealed no significant difference between the two groups, t (63) = −1.84, p =.85. Also, no significant group difference was observed on any of the three types of comprehension questions. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.

Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Disciplines
Keywords
  • first language,
  • reading comprehension,
  • second language,
  • Translanguaging
Scopus ID

85121730512

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International
Indexed in Scopus
Yes
Open Access
Yes
Open Access Type
Hybrid: This publication is openly available in a subscription-based journal/series
Citation Information
Muhammad Asif Qureshi and Ahmad Aljanadbah. "Translanguaging and reading comprehension in a second language" International Multilingual Research Journal (2021) ISSN: <p><a href="https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/issn/1931-3152" target="_blank">1931-3152</a></p>
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/muhammadasif-qureshi/15/