FROM DEFICIT TO ASSET: L1 AS A PRAGMATIC RESOURCE IN ESL CLASSROOMS
Keywords:
Translanguaging, Pragmatic Competence, L2 Pragmatics, ESL, Multilingual PedagogyAbstract
This mixed-methods study investigates the impact of translanguaging on the development of pragmatic competence among Pakistani ESL learners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a focused case study of District Swabi. A quasi-experimental design was employed with two Grade 9 classrooms (N = 60) selected through cluster sampling from a single male school. One classroom served as the experimental group (n = 30) and received translanguaging-based instruction, while the other served as the control group (n = 30) and remained the same in classroom instruction. Pragmatic competence was assessed through a standardized pre-test and post-test using an adapted Oral Interview and Student–Student Role Play (Gilmore, 2011). ANCOVA was applied to compare post-test performance while controlling for pre-test scores. Results indicate statistically significant gains for the experimental group in nonverbal behaviour and turn-taking in role play, overall role-play performance, and context-appropriate vocabulary in the oral interview (p < .05). However, interactional competence, body language, fluency, pronunciation/intonation, and overall oral interview performance did not show statistically significant improvement (p ≥ .05). Qualitative data from an open-ended questionnaire with ten ESL teachers, analyzed through Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic framework, highlighted translanguaging as a resource for real-world communication, vocabulary development, confidence building, cultural and pragmatic explanation, and strategic L1–L2 balancing, alongside challenges such as overreliance on L1 and limited institutional policy support. Overall, findings provide explicit evidence that translanguaging can function as a pragmatics-focused pedagogy in multilingual Pakistani classrooms, with implications for teacher training, curriculum development, and language policy.
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