Exploring Emergent Bilinguals’ Positioning in Translanguaging-Oriented Math Instruction

• In Event: Innovations and Advances in Mathematics Instruction

Abstract

Significance and Objective
Supporting emergent bilingual (EB) students in mathematics is essential, as they often face academic and social challenges tied to language-based deficit positioning (Author, 2020). This study examines how EBs position themselves in multilingual math classrooms where teachers engage in EB-focused professional development. Our research asks: How do high school emergent bilingual students position themselves in multilingual mathematics classrooms that incorporate translanguaging pedagogy?

Framework
We used positioning theory (Davies & Harré, 1990) to explore how students adopt or are assigned roles through classroom interactions—either reflexively (self-positioning) or interactively (by others). Scholars highlight the importance of rigorous math tasks and valuing cultural and linguistic assets to teach EBs (Moschkovich, 2010; Celedón-Pattichis & Ramirez, 2012), as these shape students’ roles, rights, and positions in math classrooms (Langer-Osuna & Esmonde, 2017). While much research focuses on teacher positioning, student self-positioning remains underexplored.

Methods
This study was conducted in a large urban district where 21.92% of students are EBs speaking over 100 languages. Over two years, we collaborated with six math teachers who taught 100% EB Algebra and pre-Algebra to implement mathematical modeling tasks using translanguaging pedagogy. Seventy-five students with 14 native languages participated; 30 completed pre- and post-surveys, and 36 participated in interviews. Using a mixed methods design, we collected quantitative data through 20-item Likert-scale surveys targeting reflexive and interactive positioning, and qualitative data through video-recorded exit interviews and focus groups. Survey data were analyzed using a paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test, with Shapiro-Wilk tests confirming test assumptions. We examined mean score shifts to identify trends in student positioning. Qualitative data were coded in two phases: first into six categories (positioning self, teachers, EB peers, non-EB peers, math, and language), then sub-coded on frequent patterns and co-occurrences. Themes from both data sources were integrated to deepen our understanding of student positioning.

Results
We found that four survey items show significant changes between pre-/post-surveys. See Table 2. Interview analysis revealed a strong link between students’ self-positioning and their perceptions of mathematics. In the second coding phase, we focused on EBs’ reflexive positioning related to math. Many students described feeling confident or proficient when they found math understandable. For example, one said, “I feel confident, even if I don’t understand 100%, I think I get the idea,” while another shared, “When it’s easy for me, I like to try harder ones to get better.” Both survey and interview data suggest that EBs’ perceptions of mathematics significantly shape how they position themselves as capable math learners.

Authors

• Jiyeong Joann Yi, Iowa State University

• Jasmine Sourwine, Iowa State University

• Shristi Shrestha, Iowa State University