Heteroglossia and Heterogeneity: A Critical Discourse Analysis of a Chinese Newcomer Student Making Sense of Energy Transfer and Transformation

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Wednesday 1:45pm
  In Poster Session: Supporting Sensemaking in Science Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This study employs critical discourse analysis to explore how classroom interactions between a Chinese newcomer student and a teacher-researcher in a sixth-grade English-medium science class support multilingual sensemaking. Drawing on a six-day unit on energy transfer and transformation, the analysis focuses on a dialogic exchange in which the student draws upon his full linguistic and cultural repertoire to engage with scientific concepts. The findings illustrate how heteroglossia and heterogeneity function as discursive resources that expand traditional definitions of legitimate science talk. The teacher’s responsive stance and use of translanguaging strategies enabled deeper conceptual engagement and positioned the student as a co-constructor of knowledge. This work underscores the potential of classroom discourse as a site of inclusive and transformative science learning.

Authors

• Zhenjie Hou, University of Houston

• Jie Zhang, University of Houston