Abstract
This study investigates Saudi EFL learners’ perceptions of AI-assisted translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy in English Medium Instruction (EMI) classrooms. Drawing on a structured Likert-scale questionnaire administered to 122 undergraduate EFL students, the research explores how AI tools mediate comprehension, reduce anxiety, and enhance participation in EMI contexts. Descriptive statistical analysis revealed that learners generally held positive attitudes toward AI-mediated translanguaging, with high levels of agreement regarding its role in improving comprehension, confidence, vocabulary retention, and active engagement with course materials. While students acknowledged challenges such as continued dependence on teachers and difficulties in processing fast-paced English input, they also emphasized the motivational benefits of AI tools in extending learning beyond classroom boundaries. The findings underscore the pedagogical potential of AI-assisted translanguaging for creating inclusive, supportive, and effective EMI environments, offering implications for curriculum design, teacher training, and policy development in Saudi higher education.
References
Al Zumor, A., & Abdesslem, H. (2024). EMI in Saudi higher education: Challenges and prospects. In English-Medium Instruction in Higher Education in the Middle East and North Africa: Policy, Research and Pedagogy (pp. 87–105). Routledge. DOI:10.5040/9781350238572.0012
Alasmari, M., Qasem, F., Ahmed, R., & Alrayes, M. (2022). Bilingual teachers’ translanguaging practices and ideologies in online classrooms in Saudi Arabia. Heliyon, 8(9), e10537. DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10537
Barnawi, O. (2017). Neoliberalism and English language education policies in the Arabian Gulf. Routledge. DOI:10.4324/9781315276717
Bojsen, H., Daryai-Hansen, P., Holmen, A., & Risager, K. (Eds.). (2023). Translanguaging and epistemological decentring in higher education and research (Vol. 39). Channel View Publications. DOI:10.1093/applin/amae009
Bonacina-Pugh, F., da Costa Cabral, I., & Huang, J. (2021). Translanguaging in education. Language Teaching, 54(4), 439–471. DOI:10.1017/S0261444821000173
Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2017). Translanguaging as a pedagogical tool in multilingual education: Theories and practices. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 16(4), 241–248. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-02240-6_20
Choi, J., & Liu, K. (2024). Knowledge building through collaborative, translation and translanguaging practices. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 23(1), 141–156. DOI:10.1080/15348458.2021.1974866
Creese, A., & Blackledge, A. (2010). Translanguaging in the bilingual classroom: A pedagogy for learning and teaching? The Modern Language Journal, 94(1), 103–115. DOI:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2009.00986.x
García, O., & Li Wei. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI:10.5565/rev/jtl3.764
García, O., & Wei, L. (2015). Translanguaging, bilingualism, and bilingual education. In W. E. Wright, S. Boun, & O. García (Eds.), The handbook of bilingual and multilingual education (pp. 223–240). Wiley-Blackwell. DOI:10.5565/rev/jtl3.764
Jia, W., Fu, X., & Pun, J. (2023). How do EMI lecturers’ translanguaging perceptions translate into their practice? A multi-case study of three Chinese tertiary EMI classes. Sustainability, 15(6), 4895. DOI:10.3390/su15064895
Jiang, A. L., & Zhang, L. J. (2023). Understanding knowledge construction in a Chinese university EMI classroom: A translanguaging perspective. System, 114, 103024. DOI:10.1016/j.system.2023.103024
Karabay, A., & Durrani, N. (2024). The evolution of English medium instruction research in higher education: A bibliometric study. Education Sciences, 14(9), 982. DOI:10.3390/educsci14090982
Kırkgöz, Y., Inci-Kavak, V., Karakaş, A., & Panero, S. M. (2023). Translanguaging practices in Turkish EMI classrooms: Commonalities and differences across two academic disciplines. System, 113, 102982. DOI:10.1016/j.system.2023.102982
Kirkpatrick, A., Subhan, S., & Walkinshaw, I. (2016). English as a lingua franca in East and Southeast Asia: Implications for diplomatic and intercultural communication. In H. Bowles & A. DOI:10.21832/9781783095483-008
C. Murphy (Eds.), English for diplomatic purposes(pp. 75–93). Palgrave Macmillan. https://dokumen.pub/english-for-diplomatic-purposes-9781783095483.html
Lasagabaster, D. (2022). English-medium instruction in higher education. Cambridge University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108903493
Lee, J. H., & Macaro, E. (2013). Investigating age in the use of L1 or English-only instruction: Vocabulary acquisition by Korean EFL learners. The Modern Language Journal, 97(4), 887–901. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:16911ed3-4560-49c8-8e6e-3aa0d72eaa04
Li, W. (2011). Moment analysis and translanguaging space: Discursive construction of identities by multilingual Chinese youth in Britain. Journal of Pragmatics, 43(5), 1222–1235. DOI:10.1016/j.pragma.2010.07.035
Lu, C., Gu, M. M., & Lee, J. C. K. (2025). A systematic review of research on translanguaging in EMI and CLIL classrooms. International Journal of Multilingualism, 22(2), 1033–1053. DOI:10.1080/14790718.2023.2256775
Macaro, E., Curle, S., Pun, J., An, J., & Dearden, J. (2018). A systematic review of English medium instruction in higher education. Language Teaching, 51(1), 36–76. DOI:10.1017/S0261444817000350
Manan, S. A. (2024). ‘English is like a credit card’: The workings of neoliberal governmentality in English learning in Pakistan. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(4), 987–1003. DOI:10.1080/01434632.2021.1931251
Mazak, C. M., & Carroll, K. S. (Eds.). (2016). Translanguaging in higher education: Beyond monolingual ideologies(Vol. 104). Multilingual Matters.
Muguruza, B., Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2023). Implementing translanguaging pedagogies in an English medium instruction course. International Journal of Multilingualism, 20(2), 540–555. DOI:10.1080/14790718.2020.1822848
Rahman, M.M. (2023). Can Grammarly be Implementd as an English Writing Tool? International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Analysis.Vol 6 (4). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v6-i4-28
Rahman, M.M. (2025). Decoding the dilemma: Exploring EFL Learners’ Perspectives on Integrating ChatGPT in Writing Instruction. Isagoge. Vol. 5. https://www.telosjournals.com.br/ojs/index.php/isa/article/view/228/173
Rodríguez, A. D., Musanti, S. I., & Cavazos, A. G. (2021). Translanguaging in higher education in the US: Leveraging students’ bilingualism. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 18(4), 353–373. DOI:10.1080/15427587.2021.1893730
Sah, P. K., & Kubota, R. (2022). Towards critical translanguaging: A review of literature on English as a medium of instruction in South Asia’s school education. Asian Englishes, 24(2), 132–146. DOI:10.1080/13488678.2022.2056796
Sah, P. K., & Li, G. (2022). Translanguaging or unequal languaging? Unfolding the plurilingual discourse of English medium instruction policy in Nepal’s public schools. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 25(6), 2075–2094. DOI:10.1080/13670050.2020.1849011
Sembiante, S. (2016). Translanguaging and the multilingual turn: Epistemological reconceptualization in the fields of language and implications for reframing language in curriculum studies. Curriculum Inquiry, 46(1), 45–61. DOI:10.1080/03626784.2015.1133221
Sultana, S. (2025). Possible challenges in reimagining bilingualism in English-medium private higher education in Bangladesh. In Equity, Social Justice, and English Medium Instruction: Case Studies from Asia (pp. 185–206). Springer Nature Singapore. DOI:10.1007/978-981-97-8321-2_10
Wei, L. (2018). Translanguaging as a practical theory of language. Applied Linguistics, 39(1), 9–30. DOI:10.1093/applin/amx044
Williams, C. (1994). Arfarniad o ddulliau dysgu ac addysgu yng nghyd-destun addysg uwchradd ddwyieithog [Evaluation of teaching and learning methods in the context of bilingual secondary education]. University of Wales. https://bangoruniversity.academia.edu/CenWilliams
Yuan, R., & Yang, M. (2023). Towards an understanding of translanguaging in EMI teacher education classrooms. Language Teaching Research, 27(4), 884–906.
DOI:10.1177/1362168820964123

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Isagoge - Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences