📄 social_science

Correlation Factors and Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of Translanguaging in English Medium Instruction Settings for Sustainable Educational Practices

This study employs structural equation modeling on data from 150 Saudi EMI students to analyze their perceptions and beliefs regarding translanguaging, ultimately offering insights to guide educators in fostering sustainable and effective English-medium instruction environments.

Original authors: Muhammad Al-Asmari, Muhammad AlRayes

Published 2026-07-01

📖 5 min read🧠 Deep dive

CC BY 4.0

Original authors: Muhammad Al-Asmari, Muhammad AlRayes

Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ✨ This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer

The Big Picture: A "Language Buffet" in the Classroom

Imagine a university classroom in Saudi Arabia where the teacher is speaking English, but the students' native language is Arabic. For a long time, the rule was strict: "Only English allowed!" It was like a restaurant that only served one specific dish, even if the customers were hungry for something else or needed a familiar flavor to understand the menu.

This study asks: What happens if we open the menu and let students use their native Arabic alongside English?

The researchers call this "Translanguaging." Think of it not as "switching languages" (like changing channels on a TV), but as using a single, super-charged language toolkit. It's like a carpenter who doesn't just use a hammer; they use a hammer, a saw, and a screwdriver all together to build a better house. In this case, the "tools" are English and Arabic working together to help students learn.

The Experiment: Asking the Students

The researchers didn't just guess; they asked 150 university students (90 men and 60 women) to fill out a survey. They wanted to know three things:

What are you actually doing? (Do teachers let you speak Arabic? Do you use it to understand difficult words?)
What do you believe? (Do you think using Arabic helps or hurts your learning?)
Does it work? (Does mixing languages make the class more fun and successful?)

To make sense of all these answers, they used a fancy statistical tool called Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).

The Analogy: Imagine you are trying to figure out why a car is running fast. You could look at the engine, the tires, and the driver separately. But SEM is like a GPS map that shows how the engine, tires, and driver are all connected and pushing the car forward together. It doesn't just say "the engine is good"; it shows how the engine helps the tires grip the road, which helps the driver steer.

What They Found (The Map)

The "GPS map" the researchers built showed three main islands that are all connected:

1. The Practices Island (What's happening in class)
The data showed that while some teachers stick strictly to English, many students do get to use Arabic sometimes. They use it to explain tricky concepts, manage the classroom, or discuss ideas with friends. It's not a free-for-all; it's a strategic mix.

2. The Beliefs Island (What students think)
Here is the big surprise: The students love the idea of using Arabic.

They believe it helps them understand complex topics.
They feel it makes the class less scary and more manageable.
They don't see it as "cheating" or "lazy"; they see it as a smart way to learn.
The Metaphor: It's like realizing that having a map in your native language helps you navigate a foreign city faster than trying to guess the signs.

3. The Effectiveness Island (Does it work?)
The students rated the "mixed language" approach as highly effective. They said it made them more engaged (less bored) and helped them succeed.

The Connection:
The study found a strong "bridge" between these islands. Because students believe using Arabic helps, they feel the class is more effective. And because they see teachers using it (Practices), their beliefs are reinforced. It's a positive cycle.

The "Fit" Check: Is the Map Accurate?

The researchers ran a "stress test" on their map (the statistical model).

The Good News: The map fits the data much better than a map that assumes everything is random and unconnected. It proves that these three things (Practices, Beliefs, and Effectiveness) really do go hand-in-hand.
The Reality Check: The map isn't perfect (it's not a "saturated" model that fits every single tiny detail perfectly), but it's a solid, reliable guide. It shows a clear trend: When students can use their full language toolkit, they feel better about learning and think the class works better.

Why This Matters (According to the Paper)

The paper argues that for education to be sustainable (meaning it lasts a long time and keeps working for everyone), we need to stop treating languages as separate boxes.

The Metaphor: Imagine trying to build a house with only one type of brick. It's hard, and the house might crack. But if you have a mix of bricks, wood, and steel (different languages), you can build a stronger, more flexible structure that lasts longer.

The study concludes that in Saudi Arabia's English-medium classrooms, letting students use Arabic isn't a distraction; it's a support system. It helps them understand, keeps them interested, and makes the whole educational experience more stable and successful.

What the Paper Doesn't Say

It doesn't say teachers should stop speaking English.
It doesn't claim this works for every single student in every situation (though the group surveyed liked it).
It doesn't offer a specific "how-to" manual for teachers yet; it just proves that the students want this approach and think it works.

In a nutshell: The students are saying, "Let us use our full language superpowers. It helps us learn better, and we think it makes the class a better place." The math backs them up.

Technical Summary: Correlation Factors and Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of Translanguaging in English Medium Instruction Settings for Sustainable Educational Practices

Problem Statement and Research Context
This study addresses a significant gap in the literature regarding translanguaging practices within English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) contexts, specifically in Saudi Arabian higher education. While the adoption of EMI has expanded globally to facilitate access to international scholarship and attract diverse faculty, it presents challenges such as language comprehension hurdles and reduced cultural exchange. Although translanguaging—the dynamic use of a speaker's full linguistic repertoire—is recognized as a transformative pedagogical tool in bilingual systems, its specific implementation and reception within Saudi EMI classrooms remain under-explored. The research aims to investigate students' perceptions, beliefs, and assessments of the effectiveness of translanguaging in fostering sustainable and engaging EMI environments.

Methodology
The research employs a quantitative, survey-based design utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze multivariate relationships.

Participants: The sample consisted of 150 undergraduate EMI students (90 male, 60 female) aged 19–24 from a Saudi university, representing three distinct majors equally.
Instrument: A 17-item questionnaire was adapted from previous studies (Hillman et al., 2019; Alasmari et al., 2022) and translated into Arabic to ensure clarity. The instrument measured three latent constructs:
1. Translanguaging Practices: Perceptions of current classroom practices (Questions 3–7).
2. Beliefs/Perspectives: Student attitudes toward the use of Arabic in EMI (Questions 8–12).
3. Pedagogical Implementation and Effectiveness: Assessments of how translanguaging impacts engagement and success (Questions 13–17).
Reliability: Cronbach's alpha values for the three constructs ranged from 0.744 to 0.873, indicating good to excellent internal consistency.
Analysis: Data were analyzed using SPSS for correlation matrices and AMOS for SEM. The model tested the relationships between the three latent variables and their observed indicators.

Key Results and Findings
The SEM analysis yielded the following statistical insights:

Model Fit: The Default model demonstrated a better fit than the Independence model but showed moderate fit indices (e.g., CMIN/DF = 3.498, RMSEA = 0.129, CFI = 0.782), suggesting the model explains the data better than a null hypothesis but has room for improvement.
Latent Variable Relationships:
- Practices to Perspectives: A significant positive covariance was found between Translanguaging Practices and Perspectives ( $r = 0.109, p = 0.003$ ).
- Practices to Implementation: A significant positive covariance existed between Translanguaging Practices and Pedagogical Implementation ( $r = 0.108, p = 0.006$ ).
- Perspectives to Implementation: The strongest relationship was observed between student Perspectives and Pedagogical Implementation ( $r = 0.227, p < 0.001$ ), indicating that positive beliefs strongly correlate with perceived effectiveness.
Regression Coefficients: All observed variables (survey items) significantly loaded onto their respective latent constructs ( $p < 0.001$ ). For instance, items regarding the use of Arabic for explaining concepts and classroom management showed high regression coefficients, confirming that students view these practices as integral to their learning.
Descriptive Findings: While some restrictive practices were reported (e.g., 53.3% reported L1 use for understanding texts was never allowed), students expressed strong agreement (64.7%) that Arabic should be used to explain academic concepts. There was a consensus that translanguaging enhances motivation and engagement.

Key Contributions

Empirical Validation in Saudi Context: The study provides empirical evidence from the Saudi Arabian context confirming that students hold positive perspectives and strong beliefs regarding the utility of translanguaging in EMI settings.
SEM Application: It pioneers the use of Structural Equation Modeling to analyze the interplay between translanguaging practices, student beliefs, and perceived pedagogical effectiveness, moving beyond simple descriptive statistics to model complex relationships.
Linking Belief to Effectiveness: The research establishes a statistically significant link between students' positive beliefs about translanguaging and their assessment of its effectiveness in creating engaging learning environments.

Significance and Claims
The authors claim that this study offers actionable guidance for educators and policymakers in Saudi Arabia and similar EMI contexts. By demonstrating that students perceive translanguaging as a mechanism to bridge comprehension gaps and enhance engagement, the paper argues for the strategic integration of students' first languages (Arabic) into EMI pedagogy.

The study posits that such integration contributes to sustainable educational practices by:

Creating more inclusive and accessible learning environments.
Reducing linguistic barriers for multilingual learners.
Facilitating a smoother transition into English-dominant academic discourse.

The authors conclude that while the study is limited by its reliance on self-reported questionnaire data (which may not perfectly reflect real-time behavior), it serves as a foundational point for future research. They suggest that future studies should employ triangulation methods, including longitudinal designs and qualitative observations, to further explore the long-term impacts of translanguaging on educational sustainability. The paper does not propose new experimental frameworks but rather validates the current student demand for translanguaging strategies to optimize EMI outcomes.