Journal of Asian Pedagogies and Teacher Formation

This study investigated the use of translanguaging using "Word of the Day" activities to enhance English vocabulary acquisition among fifth and sixth-grade pupils. The study examined students' impressions of translanguaging, its impact on vocabulary understanding, instructional possibilities and problems, and the creation of a teacher's guide for classroom implementation. A qualitative descriptive methodology was utilized. The research encompassed children in Grades 5 and 6, with data gathered over a four-week duration from 32 vocabulary notebooks and 32 open-ended survey replies. The data were examined by theme analysis and document analysis. Research findings revealed that students predominantly perceived translanguaging favorably, noting enhanced clarity of meaning, heightened confidence, higher engagement, and improved retention. Notebook entries indicated a gradual enhancement in contextualized sentence formation and more precise multilingual meaning mapping, implying that the original language served as a cognitive bridge to English production. Nonetheless, difficulties were observed, such as excessive dependence on direct translation and discrepancies in students' native language competency. These findings underscore the necessity for systematic and incremental shifts from translanguaging to English-dominant output. A scaffolded teaching method for translanguaging-oriented "Word of the Day" activities was suggested based on the findings. Purposive translanguaging was identified as an effective and beneficial approach for vocabulary enhancement in multilingual elementary schools.