A Sojourning Multilingual Family's Translanguaging Space in a Science Museum

• In Event: Relationality in Multilingual Language and Literacy Learning

Abstract

Despite a growing interest in bilingualism, little attention has been paid to how sojourner children learn their heritage languages in content areas at home in preparation for return to their home country. This study examined how a Korean sojourner child and his mother used translanguaging to help the child engage with science discourse in a local science museum. Using ethnographic and discourse analysis methods, I analyzed the family interactions in a museum 10 times over 18 months. Findings revealed that the family talk through language mixing and gestures created opportunities for expanding the child’s scientific linguistic repertoires. This study calls for partnership between parents and teachers and between schools and local museums to provide learning opportunities for sojourning children.

Author

• Min-Seok Choi, University of Louisiana at Lafayette