English through a multilingual lens: teachers’ practices and perceived impact on students

This article investigates the implementation of multilingual pedagogy in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms in Italian public schools. Drawing on classroom video recordings and semi-structured interviews with teachers, the study examines educators’ strategies, activities, and perceptions related to the implementation of multilingual pedagogy. The findings emphasise the central role of teachers in utilising students’ prior linguistic knowledge to acquire English, particularly through oral and lexicon-related activities that promote multilingual awareness. Additionally, the study highlights teachers’ positive perceptions of the benefits of adopting a multilingual approach to EFL teaching.