CREATING A TRANSLANGUAGING SPACE IN A UNIVERSITY-ESL CLASSROOM

Abstract

Despite the substantial body of research advocating for the implementation of translanguaging, the power of “only English” is still well and alive across educational settings in the United States. This practitioner inquiry research study examines the implementation of a translanguaging pedagogy in a university-level English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. The study aims to enhance the metacognitive skills and academic success of multilingual students while challenging monolingual ideologies and educational inequities. This study presents how I implemented translanguaging moves within a curriculum that was not intentionally created for such an approach. The study also examines how ESL students at an intensive English program (IEPs) in a university-level utilized translanguaging moves introduced in a six-week Reading and Writing unit. The use of purposeful pedagogical moves such as a bilingual vocabulary chart, translation, and the creation of a social justice blog, among other translanguaging strategies, created an inclusive space for students to leverage their full linguistic repertoire. This study is significant as it promotes educational equity in (IEPs) by shifting the narrative from viewing students’ home languages as deficits to recognizing them as assets. Data was analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. The findings of this study indicate that translanguaging afforded students to comprehend complex texts and to have access to academic knowledge. In addition, translanguaging provided students with the power to promote their selfexpression and helped them disrupt English monolingualism. This study carries implications for preservice teachers in TESOL programs as well as for teachers and administrations at (IEPs) and offices of international students at American universities.