Research carried out in divided contexts suggests that studying in shared educational spaces can lead to tolerance and mutual respect among the group members, creating a more equitable curriculum (Maoz & McCauley, 2009). At the same time, research in conflictual contexts has shown that students’ academic experience and teachers’ instruction may involve tension and coercive power-relations, despite studying in shared educational spaces (Paul-Binyamin & Haj-Yehia, 2019). It has been stipulated that in order for the contact or interaction among group members to be effective certain conditions must be met, particularly shared goals, equal status cooperation, and institutional or social support (Allport, 1954; Gallagher, 2016).

Translanguaging pedagogy, an approach acknowledging the students’ language repertoire (LR) and cultural identity can be potentially conducive to the educational process in such contexts.  In the ‘so called’ classical framework put forward by García (2009) translanguaging was defined as the “multiple, discursive practices in which bilinguals engage in order to make sense of their bilingual worlds”(p. 45). Over the years, the term has evolved and expanded its original conceptualization to refer to “the deployment of a speaker’s full linguistic repertoire without regard for watchful adherence to the socially and politically defined boundaries of named (and usually national and state) languages” (Otheguy et al., 2015, p. 283). Cenoz and Gorter (2021) propose a distinction between ‘pedagogical translanguaging’, viewing it as a pedagogical approach which strategically employs the students’ LR as a resource, and ‘spontaneous translanguaging’, referring to the flexible use of multiple languages, with no boundaries. Along the same lines, Aleksić and García (2024) suggest that translanguaging pedagogy encompasses the development of lesson plans, curricula and assessment drawing on the students’ full LR. It has been theorized that translanguaging practices can foster tolerance, inclusion and intercultural understanding (Kim & Weng, 2022 ). Yet, relatively little research has explored the role of translanguaging in the language learning process in contexts marked by societal conflict.

The implementation of translanguaging practices depends largely on teachers' stances or beliefs concerning the role of the students’ LR in the classroom (Tannenbaum et al., 2024), i.e., the linguistic dimensions of all languages at the students’ disposal including biographical, cognitive, psychological, emotional, and socio-cultural aspects (Council of Europe ,2001, 2020). Recent research further documents that language teachers’ plurilingual identity impacts their beliefs and practices in various ways (Haim et al., 2020). Recently, Phyak (2023) found that teachers’ spatial perspectives on translanguaging promoted the application of translanguaging pedagogies, which transformed monolingual institutional educational environments into plurilingual social spaces.
The current study is based on large scale research examining the language policy of a pluricultural teacher education college in Israel, a country marked by a continuous ethnic conflict. The purpose of the present study was to examine how the plurilingual repertoire of four lecturers with different ethnic identities (i.e., Jewish and Arab) interacts with their beliefs or professional stance regarding the incorporation of translanguaging in EAP (English for academic purposes) classes, taking into account the sociocultural spatial institutional context of these courses.

Collective case study methodology was warranted due to the lecturers’ varied plurilingual ethnic identities and teaching experience. Data sources included interviews with the lecturers (n=4) and observations (n=12) which were compared and contrasted within each case and across cases. The incorporation various data sources was used to obtain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of translanguaging as it relates to the lecturers’ identity, beliefs and practices in the EAP courses (Yin, 2014). For cross-case analysis, field notes taken during the observations, focusing on episodes utilizing translanguaging during the classes. Additionally, the lecturers’ course materials, i.e., syllabi, power-point presentations, assignment guidelines were used for data triangulation. Participants The study included four lecturers (i.e., two from each ethnic group) whose teaching experience in EAP ranged from 8 to 30 years (See Table 1 for further information about the participating lecturers). One Jewish lecturer was bilingual speaking Hebrew as an L1 and English as an L2 and one was a native English speaker speaking Hebrew as an L2. The Arab lectures were all trilingual speaking Arabic as an L1, Hebrew as an L2 and English as an L3. Seven EAP courses which were taught during the 2022-2023 academic year were investigated: Basic level (n=3), Advanced level (n=1), and Advanced 2 level (n=2). The number of students in each course ranged from 25 to 38. The percentage of the Arab students studying in these courses was relatively lower (i.e., approximately 30%) than that of the Jewish students. Instruments Semi-structured interviews. The interviews included three parts. The first part included questions tapping on the lecturers’ plurilingual and pluricultural ethnic identity including language learning biography, professional background and teaching experience. The second part included questions focusing on the lecturers’ beliefs and pedagogical approach to translanguaging. The questions also tapped on the lecturers’ familiarity with the college language policy. The third part addressed the context of each course (e.g., course materials, teaching and assessment). Each interview lasted approximately 45-60 minutes. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Observations. Each lecturer was observed three times, teaching different levels of EAP classes which were audio-recorded. Each observation was based on an observation guide (Haim et al., 2019) focusing specifically on episodes including translanguaging. The observation guide tapped on pedagogical and communicative aspects of the episodes incorporating translanguaging, e.g., initiator of translanguaging, topic and purpose of the episodes, type of activity, etc.

Qualitative content analyses reveal a number of themes suggesting that the lecturers' plurilingual ethnic identities shape their stances toward translanguaging as well as the translingual practices in their classes: (1) Plurilingual ethnic identity is intertwined with the lecturers’ professional knowledge and beliefs; (2) Plurilingual ethnic identity influences the application of translanguaging practices; and (3) Plurilingual ethnic identity interacts with professional and ideological tensions. The trilingual lecturers from the Arab society demonstrated enhanced awareness of the sociocultural and educational benefits of translanguaging, and reported various ways of employing it strategically to foster an inclusive academic environment. Conversely, the bilingual lecturers from the Jewish society used translanguaging less frequently, viewing it primarily as a cognitive tool for scaffolding and socio-emotional support. Altogether and concurring with recent research in the area of teacher cognition the findings converge to suggest that the lecturers’ plurilingual ethnic identities permeate their underlying beliefs and dispositions, strongly influencing their positioning and perceptual roles, and the way they incorporate translanguaging practices in their classes (Cataldo-Schwarzl et al., 2023; Haim et al., 2020). The study underscores the role of lecturers as agents of social change and their ability to utilize translanguaging strategically to challenge dominant language ideologies and contribute to a more equitable academic environment. The findings suggest that embracing translanguaging in conflict-affected contexts can enhance intercultural understanding and lead to more equitable and positive educational experiences. The results also imply critical insights for language policy in conflictual, multilingual academic educational settings.

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