Abstract:
This study discusses translanguaging practices inside and outside Kakuma refugee camp
school in Turkana County North Western part of Kenya. The study explored how teachers
draw on their students’ entire linguistic repertoires in the teaching and learning of English
which is language of teaching and learning (LoTL) and Kiswahili which is language of
communication (LoC). It also investigated the motivation and teachers’, students’ and
education officers’ attitudes towards translanguaging in Kakuma refugee camp school.
Further, the study examined the implementation of language-in-education policy in Kenya
and practice in Kakuma refugee camp school.
This study was guided by translanguaging theory. Through a case study approach, semi-
structured interviews, unstructured interviews, focus group interviews, and observation
method. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study show that
although teachers use translanguaging in the teaching and learning of English and Kiswahili
in Kakuma refugee camp school, they do not utilise it effectively as a teaching pedagogy.
The findings also indicate that the reasons for using translanguaging were: facilitating
students’ understanding of subject matter, enhancing meaning making in the lesson,
activating classroom participation and fostering communication. Along the same line, the
findings reveal that teachers, students and education officers have positive attitudes towards
translanguaging, even though teachers and education officers do not support use of
translanguaging in writing. Moreover, the findings demonstrate mismatch between
language-in-education policy in Kenya and practice in Kakuma refugee and also show that
students have a challenge in English which is LoTL thereby informing use of
translanguaging in the camp school. The findings of this study are consistent with other
studies carried in refugee camps that have indicated that translanguaging facilitates the
teaching and learning of new languages used as LoTL in the host countries.
The findings of this study may inform the need to recognise translanguaging as a legitimate
teaching pedagogy in the language-in-education policy in Kenya and in Kakuma refugee
camp schools in Kenya. The study also recommends translanguaging to be incorporated in
teacher education, in teacher training colleges and in in-service training of teachers
employed by agencies dealing with the education for refugees in Kenya
