Examining the Correlations Between Gender, Academic Majors, and Students' Perceptions Toward Translanguaging Practices

This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between Saudi university students' perceptions of translanguaging practices (TPs) and two specific demographic variables: their gender and educational majors. The research was conducted using a random sampling technique to recruit a sample of 129 participants. These students completed a 30-item adapted questionnaire designed to measure their attitudes and perceptions towards the use of translanguaging. To analyze the collected data, researchers used statistical methods including correlation coefficients and effect sizes. The findings revealed a weak, but statistically significant, correlation between gender and students' perceptions of TPs, with a correlation coefficient (η) of 0.136 and a corresponding effect size of 0.018. Similarly, the study found a very weak, yet significant, correlation between students' educational majors and their perceptions, indicated by a correlation coefficient (η) of 0.057 and a minuscule effect size of 0.003. The study's results suggest that there is a minimal relationship between a student's gender or academic major and their views on translanguaging. This finding implies that these demographic factors have little influence on students’ attitudes toward using multiple languages in the classroom. This insight is significant as it supports the broader implementation of translanguaging practices in educational settings and underscores the need for future research to explore other, potentially more influential, factors. The study concludes by discussing recommendations for future research and outlining the pedagogical implications of these findings for language teaching.