This article aims to explore and clarify how students' use of first and second languages in a translanguaging science classroom (TSC) may affect the continuity of learning in science. In a TSC, participants can use all available language resources, in all meaning-making situations. An ethnographic data collection and research design is used to…

The value of using one's first language (L1) to promote a second language (L2) learning has been thoroughly investigated in the literature. However, this study aimed to further contribute to the investigation of English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction and uncover attitudes towards the use of L1 (Arabic) in face-to-face and online…

The protection of language rights and linguistic groups is the cornerstone of the constitutional dispensation that Ethiopian has embarked upon almost two decades ago. The constitution declares that all Ethiopian language shall enjoy equal state recognition and allows for regional preference in language use. This article examines the laws and…

The medium of instruction of most Israeli institutions of higher education is Hebrew. Although there are a number of institutions where the medium of instruction is Arabic, many students belonging to the Arab-speaking minority choose to study in Hebrew-medium institutions. Studying in a Hebrew-speaking institution, as such, raises several issues…

This article explores the linguistic tension resulting from the English-medium instruction policy at a state university in the UAE. The article is informed by a critical theoretical approach that views language policy from the vantage point of both Arabic and English. It argues that, contrary to the stated national and institutional goals, the…

This study investigates the reasons for L1 use in the L2 classroom and teachers' and learners' beliefs regarding the appropriateness and effectiveness of this practice. Its findings are based on observational and interview data collected in two lower intermediate level classes in the foundation year at an Omani university. Each class was observed…

Multicultural environments in academic institutions face major challenges in teaching, learning, and social integration. Although the number of Arab students attending institutions of higher education in Israel has increased, the Arabic language has little presence in the Israeli academic world. This article explores the results of teaching Arab…

This paper explores the linguistic landscape (LL) of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and shows how this religious site contains within it different domains, each with their own LL and preferred mediums of display. We illustrate this by exploring the LL of five domains within the mosque: Holiness, Education, Workplace, Local Governance and the Public…

In a bilingual educational setting, even when mathematical word problems are presented in one's first language, students may still perform poorly if cognitive constraints such as working memory limitations are not taken into consideration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the conditions under which learners are better able to solve…

Family Language Policy never takes place only in private but is embedded in larger discourses in society or rather in several societies to which the multilingual family is linked. One main point of contact of families and discourses on language is the education system. Previous research has shown that bilingual families orient towards teachers for…

In the midst of immense societal change, this paper examines the complex forces at work in novice Arabic-speaking teachers' choice of language in English-medium primary classrooms in the United Arab Emirates. Thirty newly-graduated Emirati English language teachers, working in kindergarten or primary government schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi,…

The recent decades have witnessed a remarkable increase in the body of research that examine the relationship between humour and language acquisition. This study, however, uses the microanalytical approach of Conversation Analysis (CA) to investigate the impact of the teachers' competent use of the first language (L1) as a source of humour on…

Facilitation of memory for target stimuli due to similar context in the learning and testing phases is known as "context effect" (CE). The present study aimed to investigate the interaction between CE as elicited by the consistency of the language of presentation (Hebrew vs. English) with the native language (Hebrew vs. English) in both…

There has been an increasing interest in the topic of code switching (CS) for the past two decades. This ethnographic exploratory study uncovers the status quo of classroom CS in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms in Libyan universities. It aims to investigate how EFL teachers code-switch to facilitate teaching/learning process. Six…

Post-modern approaches to language policy have emphasised the role of agency in implementing and appropriating language policies. While agency is often perceived in positive terms, Liddicoat [(2019). Constraints on agency in micro-language policy and planning in schools. In J. Bouchard & G. P. Glasgow (Eds.), "Agency in language policy…