From Language to Translanguaging in Qualitative Research: Methodological and Pedagogical Considerations

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Qualitative Research in the Big Tent: Conversations Across Epistemologies and Ontologies (Table 1)

Abstract

This paper explores the complexities of conducting and teaching qualitative research in multilingual contexts and advocates for a reconceptualization of language in qualitative research, through a theoretical and pedagogical shift toward translanguaging. Theories of language from applied linguistics and language education together with critically oriented methodological literature on multilingualism and translation inform our conceptual exploration. We draw on two empirical examples from our personal experiences with translanguaging as researchers and qualitative methodologists to illuminate how linguistic boundary-keeping impacts research practices and raise methodological and pedagogical provocations. We argue that adopting translanguaging not only enriches qualitative research methodology but also promotes equity by challenging monolingual biases and recognizing the hybrid, dynamic nature of language-in-use.

Authors

• Pengfei Zhao, McGill University

• Amber N. Warren, Vanderbilt University