Translanguaging learning strategies (TLS) A novel proposal from learning Chinese

Using the think-aloud protocol (TAP), the study investigates the strategies used by beginner and pre-intermediate learners of Chinese when studying Chinese characters through typing. Drawing on concepts from translanguaging, embodiment and LS (learning strategies), a novel notion of translanguaging learning strategies (TLS) and an innovative typology of TLS were proposed. The study found that the pre-intermediate group tended to resort to TLI (translanguaging interdependency) and IE (imagined embodiment) more often than the beginners. TLS for typing were also compared with those for handwriting. While CFL learners mainly relied on HE (haptic embodiment) when typing to learn, a wider range of TLS, including IE, TLI and TSI (trans-semiotising interdependency), were drawn from during handwriting. As a pioneer in situating learning strategies in a translanguaging framework, the study calls for further empirical research to validate the proposal of TLS and its typology.