Enhancing Vocabulary Acquisition through Structured Translanguaging: A Quasi-Experimental Study with Primary EFL Learners
Authors
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Sarlinda Sarlinda
Universitas Pendidikan Mandalika
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Arif Rahman
Universitas Pendidikan Mandalika
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Jupri Jupri
Universitas Pendidikan Mandalika
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Sri Wahyuningsih
Mataram Institute of Tourism Studies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v6i3.6135Keywords:
Translanguaging, Vocabulary acquisition, Primary education, Multilingual pedagogyAbstract
Vocabulary acquisition constitutes a foundational dimension of second language development, particularly in primary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts where learners are establishing early communicative competence. Despite increasing recognition of multilingual pedagogies, empirical evidence on the effectiveness of translanguaging in Indonesian primary education remains limited. This study investigates the impact of structured translanguaging on vocabulary acquisition among primary EFL learners. A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design was employed involving 62 fifth-grade students. The experimental group received structured translanguaging instruction, while the control group was taught using conventional monolingual approaches. Vocabulary knowledge was assessed through validated pre- and post-tests measuring both receptive and productive vocabulary. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and effect size calculations. Findings indicate that while both groups demonstrated improvement, the experimental group achieved significantly higher gains (M = 24.9) compared to the control group (M = 19.0), with a large effect size (d = 0.82, p < .05). These results suggest that translanguaging facilitates vocabulary development by enabling learners to mobilize their full linguistic repertoire. This study contributes empirical evidence to translanguaging research in underexplored primary EFL contexts and offers pedagogical implications for multilingual curriculum design and inclusive language policy.
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