From Uncertainty to Advocacy: A Longitudinal Study of a Teacher’s Journey in Translanguaging Pedagogy

• In Event: Multilingual Realities: Translanguaging in Schools

Abstract

This longitudinal narrative inquiry examines how a teacher/graduate student developed her translanguaging pedagogy and professional identity over two years in a graduate TESOL program. The study centers the teacher’s voice as she reflects on the emotional, ideological, and professional tensions she encountered—navigating monolingual norms, experimenting with translanguaging, and ultimately embracing advocacy. Data sources include course assessments, classroom reflections, communications with the professor, and an interview. The findings trace five key phases: bilingual identity formation, confronting dominant ideologies, early struggles, intentional implementation, and emerging advocacy. Framed as a teacher's journey of identity and agency, the study highlights translanguaging as a transformative pedagogical and sociopolitical stance, emphasizing the need for sustained mentorship and support in teacher education to promote equity and teacher development.

Authors

• ChiuYin Cathy Wong, Monmouth University

• Mariella Gallagher, Monmouth University