Translanguaging in U.S. Pre-K–12 Classrooms: A Critical Review of the Literature

• In Event: (Re)Centering Criticality in Language Education: Exploring Translanguaging as Consequential Praxis

Abstract

Objectives
Translanguaging has captured the imagination of researchers and educators alike, becoming a conceptual lens for rethinking linguistically responsive instruction with bi/multilingual learners. Despite its popularity, some argue that translanguaging theory has deviated from its critical roots and become disconnected from critical pedagogy (e.g., Poza, 2017; Lau et al., 2021). This review of translanguaging research sought to understand to what extent, for whom, and to what ends translanguaging research in US PK-12 contexts claims to be transformative.

Theoretical Framework
Translanguaging, simply defined, is leveraging all linguistic resources within a bi/multilingual’s repertoire to make meaning (García, 2009). However, translanguaging has also been framed as a social justice stance and equity-oriented pedagogy (García & Leiva, 2014), a vehicle for opening up linguistic third-spaces that contest hegemonic language ideologies and affirm students’ identities (Flores & García, 2013; Wei, 2018), or to potentially “provide all learners with equal educational opportunity and build a more just society” (García & Seltzer, 2016, p. 21). To what extent these lofty goals have been realized is under debate and is the focus of this review.

Methods and Data Sources
Our team reviewed empirical articles published between 2009-2021 focused on translanguaging in U.S. PK-12 educational contexts. Searching titles/abstracts within databases (e.g., ERIC, Education Full Text), Google Scholar, and leading language journals, we identified 150 possible articles. We closely read and coded the articles, including their (1) definitions of translanguaging, (2) critical stance (if any), (3) attention to issues of power, (4) framing of the transformative potential of translanguaging (if relevant). We eliminated articles not meeting inclusion criteria, resulting in 98 articles. Using Block’s (2018) framing of recognition and redistribution, we then mapped the critical orientation of each article along a continuum, leading us to develop a Spectrum of Criticality.

Findings
Findings revealed that most U.S.-based translanguaging research is critically-oriented, albeit to varying degrees. We propose that criticality in translanguaging research be understood as a spectrum, ranging from recognition to transformation. Research focused on translanguaging stance was situated in three categories (along the spectrum): language as (1) resource, (2) social construct, and (3) power. Research focused on translanguaging practice/pedagogy was situated within three types of learning spaces (also along the spectrum): (1) inclusive, (2) expansive, and (3) critical learning spaces. While most research tended toward the recognition side of the spectrum, a growing number of studies are transformation-oriented. However, there were also empirical examples of translanguaging exacerbating social inequities (Allard, 2017; Lima Becker et al., 2021), highlighting the need to (re)center context in understanding translanguaging.

Significance
This review synthesizes what we know about the transformative potential of translanguaging research and highlights directions forward for more critical engagement with translanguaging in PK-12. In addition to offering a nuanced lens for what is meant by “critical”, we also propose a context-based orientation to guide future scholarship. Following Pennycook (2022), we argue it is vital to disrupt the supposed “novelty” of epistemic shifts, while simultaneously using new lenses to pursue educational equity.

Authors

• Laura Hamman-Ortiz, University of Rhode Island
  Presenting Author

• Zhongfeng Tian, Rutgers University - Newark
  Presenting Author

• Caitie Dougherty, University of Colorado - Boulder
  Presenting Author

• Deborah K. Palmer, University of Colorado - Boulder
  Presenting Author

• Gabriela Ayala
  Presenting Author

• Luis E. Poza, San José State University
  Non-Presenting Author