Understanding Middle School Science Teachers’ Language Ideologies about Translanguaging

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Listening for Voice: Translanguaging, Identity, and Narrative in Teaching

Abstract

To teach Emergent Bilingual (EB) students that are learning English and content simultaneously, teachers must be knowledgeable about, and prepared to integrate, language-rich strategies that aid language acquisition. While knowledge and skills are important, another important factor to consider is the language ideologies of these science teachers. Language ideologies can influence the choices teachers make in the science classroom. This study examined two middle school teachers’ language ideologies as they engaged in one year of professional development that focused on integrating translanguaging in science instruction through co-design. Results showed the teachers veered from language-exclusive to language-inclusive ideologies over time. This shift led to their increased capacity to leverage students’ full linguistic repertoires to positively impact content and language learning.

Authors

• Sissy S. Wong, University of Houston

• Yernat Mnuar, university of houston

• Jie Zhang, University of Houston