Abstract:

Over the past three decades, there has been an active and heated debate over the concept of translanguaging as a pedagogical approach to language teaching and learning. This article explores translanguaging pedagogy by focusing on the perceptions of Arab learners of Turkish towards the use of their mother tongue as a pedagogical tool. It also investigates the Turkish teachers’ perceptions of this approach. The study was conducted on a sample of thirty Arab learners of Turkish and two teachers of the Turkish language. Two instruments were used in this study, an online survey for the learners and an interview with the teachers. The results revealed that the majority of the participants found learning Turkish grammar challenging and confusing and that the Arab learners of Turkish were in favor of using translanguaging in the classroom. They indicated that being allowed to use Arabic in their language classrooms makes them feel secure and relaxed, develops their language abilities, and facilitates negotiating meaning while discussing the concepts they are familiar with in their mother tongue. On the other hand, the teachers held a very positive perception of translanguaging and highlighted its importance in enabling participation and promoting assistance to peers during classroom activities and discussions.

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