Teachers' multilingual beliefs and practices in English classrooms: A scoping review

Abstract

The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented growth in the field of research on multilingualism in English as a second and foreign language (ESL/EFL) classrooms. This scoping review evaluates research conducted on multilingualism and the teaching and learning of English. Three search methods were used: a database search in three major databases for education; a manual search in six most prominent and relevant journals; and a citation search in the articles found through database and manual search. A total of 2282 articles were scanned. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and several rounds of selections, 56 articles were found relevant for the purpose of this review. The articles were analysed and discussed according to their research questions/aims, context and methods, evidence, and findings. The findings from the reviewed studies indicate that English teachers' multilingual beliefs and practices vary considerably within national contexts, that they possess more positive beliefs about multilingualism than what they practise in their teaching, and that translanguaging occurs mainly with reference to the language of instruction or students' first language. The study also underlines the importance of arriving at a shared understanding of research concepts when researching multilingual teachers and breaking down barriers between language subjects. Finally, there is little knowledge about the long-term effects of various interventionist or long-term continual professional development programmes when it comes to teachers' multilingual beliefs and practices.