Teachers' Beliefs About Translanguaging: Effects of Language Skills and Instructional Settings

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Improving Teacher Education for Linguistically Diverse Students

Abstract

Experimental research was conducted to examine teachers’ beliefs about classroom activities involving translanguaging, a pedagogical practice in which students use both their home language and English to develop oral and literacy skills in both languages. Teachers completed a survey to rate the effectiveness of translanguaging by responding to questions in one of four instructional settings: bilingual education (BE), dual language (DL), general education, and English as a second language. Teachers rated translanguaging as generally more effective in DL and BE, likely because these settings explicitly leverage students’ home-language skills. These beliefs may exacerbate achievement gaps by directing the richness of the home language disproportionately to high-proficiency students. Teacher-education practices are needed emphasizing translanguaging for all students regardless of home-language proficiency.

Authors

• Bruce Torff, Hofstra University

• Audrey Figueroa Murphy, Saint John's University