ENHANCING SPEAKING PROFICIENCY THROUGH TRANSLANGUAGING AND LANGUAGE APTITUDE IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS
Keywords:
Translanguaging, Language Learning Aptitude, Speaking Proficiency, Differentiated Instruction, Junior High SchoolAbstract
As a pedagogical approach, translanguaging allows learners who are bilingual to make sense of their entire linguistic repertoire in order to improve academic performance and create meaning (García & Wei, 2014). According to Dörnyei (2014), language learning aptitude is the capacity for thinking to pick up foreign language skills more quickly. In the framework of differentiated instruction in junior high schools, this study attempts to examine the concurrent effects of translanguaging practices and language learning aptitude on students' speaking proficiency. 60 eighth-grade students from three SMP Penggerak (pilot schools) in Lombok, Indonesia, were chosen through stratified random sampling as part of the study's quantitative methodology. A speaking proficiency rubric and a validated questionnaire on translanguaging techniques and aptitude scales were used to gather data. Speaking proficiency is significantly and favourably influenced by both translanguaging and language learning ability, according to statistical analysis using multiple linear regression (p < 0.05). Furthermore, 62% of the variation in students' speaking performance was explained by the simultaneous contribution of both variables. These results underline the significance of acknowledging individual differences in aptitude to maximise oral communication outcomes and support the incorporation of translanguaging strategies in speaking activities. It is determined that different types of instruction can greatly improve students' English speaking abilities when they are in line with their linguistic and cognitive profiles. It is advised that teachers use flexible language and create a variety of learning pathways based on the aptitude levels of their students. Future studies ought to explore the interactions between these variables over more extended periods and in different classroom environments.
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