Speakers
Description
This study examines non-English major students’ attitudes and perceptions towards a mixed use of translanguaging and AI in their English classrooms. The qualitative action research employs three instruments: in-class observations, journaling and questionnaires. In a translanguaging instructional setting, 40 participants at a pre-intermediate level from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport (UTH) are allowed to use ChatGPT for their speaking practices and observed during 6 sessions to collect data. The findings reveal that this approach can benefit the less proficient learners in shuttling between L1 (Vietnamese) and L2 (English) naturally and actively, developing a deeper understanding of content and clarifying challenging speaking tasks. It suggests that students rely on ChatGPT rather than the teacher’s L1 instructions for particular purposes, especially understanding unfamiliar vocabulary and employing complex grammatical points. So far, few studies have focused on using AI to aid translanguaging practices in EFL classrooms and have shown the learners’ views of this blended strategy. Thus, the study may be a reliable source for other researchers on this topic in the future.
Keywords: translanguaging, artificial intelligence, pre-intermediate, EFL classrooms
