Journal of Educational Sciences
Vol. 10 No. 8 (2026): Journal of Educational Sciences

Beyond English-Only: Master’s Students’ Perceptions of Translanguaging Challenges and Strategies in Indonesian EFL Higher Education

Nanda Efriani (Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Jambi, Jambi, 36369, Indonesia)
Failasofah Failasofah (Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Jambi, Jambi, 36369, Indonesia)
Reli Handayani (Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Jambi, Jambi, 36369, Indonesia)
Hadiyanto Hadiyanto (Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Jambi, Jambi, 36369, Indonesia)
Mukhlash Abrar (Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Jambi, Jambi, 36369, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
15 Aug 2026

Abstract

In Indonesian EFL higher education, the use of students’ first language alongside English remains a debated issue, as multilingual practices are often perceived as a barrier to English development. However, translanguaging provides a perspective that views learners’ entire linguistic repertoire as a resource for meaning-making and academic learning. This study aimed to explore the challenges experienced by Indonesian EFL master's students when using translanguaging in classroom interaction and the strategies they employed to utilize translanguaging as a learning resource. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with five Indonesian EFL master's students and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that students experienced challenges related to academic language complexity, uncertainty in managing language choice, and psychological factors. Nevertheless, students strategically employed translanguaging in reading academic literature, classroom discussions, academic writing, and presentations. Translanguaging functioned as a cognitive and interactional scaffold that supported comprehension, knowledge construction, participation, and English academic development. The study concludes that translanguaging should not be viewed as a replacement for English but as a purposeful multilingual resource that facilitates learning in Indonesian EFL higher education contexts.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

JES

Publisher

Subject

Religion Humanities Education Library & Information Science Other

Description

JES publishes original articles on the latest issues and trends occurring regionally and internationally in the educational sciences with the aim to advance our knowledge both in term of theory and practice. Moreover, this journal also covers the issues concerned with the following special sections: ...