| Abstract: |
This qualitative study investigates effective pedagogical practices employed by teachers in multilingual and linguistically diverse classrooms across three school types in Jordan: public, private, and international. Situated within the Jordanian educational context -- one of the most linguistically complex in the Middle East, shaped by the presence of Syrian refugees, Circassian and Chechen minority communities, and a large expatriate population -- the study draws on data from 20 semi-structured teacher interviews, 10 focus group discussions (comprising 35 teachers), and 20 classroom observations conducted between February and March 2026. Using a thematic analysis framework, the study identifies findings organized around five core themes: scaffolding strategies, translanguaging and home language use, collaborative and peer learning, culturally relevant pedagogy, and the structural determinants of effective teaching. Results reveal a significant and consistent divide between school types, with international schools demonstrating markedly richer pedagogical practice across nearly all dimensions, while public school teachers -- often managing classes of 35-40 students with minimal resources and limited professional development -- rely primarily on translation, repetition, and oral drilling. Private schools, constrained by Tawjihi examination pressure, exhibit high cultural relevance but limited communicative language teaching. The study discusses implications for teacher education, language policy, and equity-oriented school reform in Jordan, and identifies specific transferability of findings to the US multilingual education context, with particular attention to sheltered instruction, dual-language programming, and support for students with interrupted formal education. |