Translanguaging at school: students’ perspectives on using multiple languages

Numerous scholars advocate for translanguaging pedagogies to increase participation and learning opportunities for all students, in particular students with a migration background (Rosiers, Van Lancker, & Delarue, 2018). Conversely, critics argue that translanguaging can contribute to reiterate unequal participation dynamics and question the equitable access to curricular resources (Hamman, 2018). While most qualitative studies draw on observations of classroom practices of the teachers and/or the students, only few consider the students’ perspectives on these practices. The present paper aims to address this issue. While my doctoral project explores the translanguaging practices of four fourth-graders of different backgrounds and their development over time, this paper investigates their perspectives on translanguaging. From January to December 2018, I observed the students’ interactions with their peers and teachers in Years 4 and 5 and identified and recorded key events. Subsequently, selected events were shown to and discussed with the students. Findings based on recordings from discussions and stimulated recall interviews revealed, first, that translanguaging was the default mode of communication of all four students and was perceived as a common practice. Second, the newcomers reported that they translanguaged to communicate quicker and that translanguaging was particularly frequent in students who were not yet proficient language users. Similarly, students with more experience in the education system perceived translanguaging as an inferior practice and indicated using their home language as a scaffold with other students, but not with their teachers. The students’ self-monitoring connects to the classroom practices.