Online communication translanguaging practices and academic writing among teenagers in the secondary school in Bejaia city

Abstract

Multilingualism and translanguaging are increasingly shaping pupils’ academic experiences, particularly in writing, where language switching may support school achievement or be an obstacle to it in some cases. The main aim of this study is to explore how learners' translanguaging practices, shaped by their online habits and digital communication, affect their academic writing performance. Using a qualitative and corpus analysis research design, the study draws on open-ended interviews with English and French language teachers, as well as a corpus analysis focusing on pupils’ writing from online platforms, examinations, and voluntary submissions. A comparative assessment between some relatively monolingual and multilingual pupils further supports the analysis. Findings from teacher interviews reveal that, while multilingualism enhances comprehension, it contributes to difficulties in mastering academic writing, especially when pupils use multiple languages below proficiency thresholds. The data also reveal that monolingual pupils tend to outperform their multilingual peers in formal writing tasks, highlighting the challenges of managing several languages without adequate academic support. These results underscore the need for more targeted strategies to help multilingual pupils translate their linguistic strengths into academic success.