Heritage Language Teachers' Flexible Language Use for Pedagogical Purposes

• In Event: Linguistic Repertoires and Practices Across Program Models and Languages

Abstract

This study examined Korean heritage language teachers’ views of translanguaging for a pedagogical purpose in their classrooms. Informed by the theoretical concepts of language ideologies and translanguaging, this study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews with teachers of Korean community-based heritage language schools. Findings demonstrate that the participating teachers employed various approaches to translanguaging to facilitate student learning. Their views of students’ characteristics and language ideologies intersected in teachers’ ways of using translanguaging. Teachers’ language use countered the predominant belief that the target language, in this case Korean, should be used in a language learning context to some degree. However, their effort to protect the heritage language seemed to guide them to accept the one-language-only policy partially.

Authors

• Kwangok Song, The University of Kansas

• Sumin Lim, The University of Texas at El Paso