Use of Students' Home Languages in Secondary Science Classrooms: A Study of Teachers' Experiences

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Abstract

With an increasing push for all students to learn English, there are heavy implications that English fluency is more important than content instruction. This qualitative study features narratives from two secondary science teachers who have integrated students’ home languages through translanguaging practices in an attempt to balance English instruction with content instruction. They recognized that science content can be taught through both languages, but the expectation that these students learn both content and language in the time that native English speakers learn only content is unreasonable and unattainable, further perpetuating the systemic barriers these students face. While the existing literature recognizes the barriers in English-only classrooms, this study provides a possible solution through translanguaging practices.

Author

• Tiffany A. Cunningham, University of San Diego