Students’ Multilingual Practices in the English Classroom in Kazakhstan

Abstract

This study seeks to contribute to the ongoing discussions of multilingualism in the English classroom and intends to explore forms of multilingualism in a formal classroom context, being the first effort to document Kazakh students’ authentic interactions involving Kazakh, Russian and English in the English classroom. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study investigates the use of languages and types of multilingualism in students’ group discussions, supported by quantitative and qualitative data from a sociolinguistic survey. The results reveal a dynamic and integrated use of English, Russian and Kazakh during formal student discussions, with English being dominant and Russian and Kazakh making significant contributions. Kazakh students are shown to engage in diverse multilingual behaviors, including various forms of code-switching (intra-sentential, extra-sentential, intra-word) serving different functions (such as reference, discourse markers and structural roles). Survey results indicate harmonious interaction among the three languages and frequent multilingual usage, underscoring the fluid and integrated language practices in Kazakhstan’s educational settings. Although opinions vary on whether students should adhere to using a single language in certain contexts, the common practice and positive view of employing multiple languages is recognized. These findings highlight students’ flexible multilingual competence, which supports adaptable communication shaped by context. The study offers valuable empirical evidence for language policy, teaching methods and sociolinguistic theory in multilingual post-Soviet environments.