Langkawi: Journal of The Association for Arabic and English
Vol. 12 No. 1 (2026)

Sociolinguistic Awareness and Multilingual Identity in Indonesian EFL Teacher Education

Hamdani, Fakry (Unknown)
Yudhiantara, Rully (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jun 2026

Abstract

As English increasingly functions as a global lingua franca, teacher education programmes face growing demands to prepare future teachers for linguistically diverse and multilingual educational environments. Although sociolinguistic awareness has become an important focus in language teacher education, limited research has examined how preservice English teachers negotiate linguistic diversity, language ideology, multilingual identity, and translanguaging within multilingual higher education contexts. This study explored these dimensions among preservice English teachers enrolled in a Sociolinguistics course at an Indonesian Islamic higher education institution. Using a qualitative case study design, data were collected from 30 preservice English teachers through reflective narratives and semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) framework. The analysis generated four themes: awareness of linguistic diversity, negotiation of language ideologies, multilingual identity construction, and translanguaging as a communicative resource. The findings indicated that participants generally recognized English as a linguistically diverse global language and viewed multilingual experiences as valuable resources for communication, learning, and professional development. However, many continued to attach importance to standardized English varieties and native-speaker norms as indicators of professional competence. Participants also expressed nuanced perspectives on translanguaging, acknowledging its pedagogical value while emphasizing the need to maintain opportunities for English language development. Overall, the findings suggest that sociolinguistic awareness is a dynamic process of negotiation through which preservice teachers reconcile competing understandings of language legitimacy, professional identity, and multilingual pedagogy. The study implies the importance of integrating sociolinguistic perspectives, critical reflection, and multilingual pedagogies into teacher education programmes to foster more inclusive and context-responsive English language teaching.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

langkawi

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

Langkawi: Journal of The Association for Arabic and English, invites scholars, researchers, and students to contribute the result of their studies and researches in Arabic and English with linguistic studies, both in micro and macro terms, such as applied linguistics, philology, script studies, ...