TRANSLANGUAGING IN PAKISTANI HIGHER EDUCATION: A PRISMA-GUIDED SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES, LANGUAGE IDEOLOGIES, AND POLICY CHALLENGES

Abdul Sattar; Tarique Abbas; Suneeta Ramesh; Abdul Samad

doi:10.68156/k1abs626

Authors

Abdul Sattar MPhil Scholar in Applied Linguistics, Department of English, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan Author
Tarique Abbas Lecturer, Department of English, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Shaheed Benazir Abad, Pakistan Author
Suneeta Ramesh Lecturer, Department of Basic Sciences and Humanities Dawood University of Engineering and Technology Karachi, Pakistan Author
Abdul Samad MPhil Scholar in Applied Linguistics, Department of English Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) Karachi, Pakistan Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.68156/k1abs626

Keywords:

English-Medium Instruction, Higher Education, Language Policy, Multilingual Pedagogy, Pakistan, Translanguaging

Abstract

The higher education system in Pakistan operates within a multilingual ecology, where instruction is delivered in English and regional languages, with unequal access to academic English. Present studies of this use of translanguaging are currently dispersed in the classroom, language ideology, identity and policy, and have rarely been synthesized in their role in education. This systematic review explored the conceptualization, implementation, and assessment of translanguaging in Pakistani higher education. A qualitative synthesis using thematic analysis was utilized, and 26 studies published over 20 years (from 2005 to 2025) were selected using PRISMA procedures. The results of the study indicate that translanguaging is understood as meaning-making, cognitive scaffolding and negotiation of identity, decolonial pedagogy, and support for English-medium instruction. Common practices include explanations, translations, rephrasings, vocabulary clarification, peer discussion, writing assistance, and classroom rapport. Benefits include better understanding, engagement, confidence, and inclusion; challenges include English-only policies, assessment restrictions, teacher discomfort, and a lack of multilingual materials. The review suggests that teacher training, a curriculum plan and inclusive assessment are needed. Its originality is in harmonizing the different pieces of Pakistani scholarship. Translanguaging becomes a valid path towards equitable multilingual Higher Education.

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