A qualitative meta-analysis of the impact translanguaging as a pedagogical possibility has on the learning experiences of adolescent newcomer emergent bilinguals in the United States
Today, one in ten students in U.S. classrooms is learning English. A subgroup of these students who are at risk is adolescent newcomer emergent bilinguals. The pedagogical approaches to teach these students have varied from English-Only approaches to bilingual education programs. Within bilingual education, different approaches have also emerged, such as dual language bilingual education programs and, more recently, translanguaging pedagogies. While studies have been conducted to identify, analyze, and further understand translanguaging as a pedagogical possibility in schools in the U.S., their impact on the learning experiences of adolescent newcomer emergent bilingual students represents a gap in the literature. This study aimed to (1) analyze the evolution of translanguaging as a pedagogical possibility and its impact, if any, on the learning experiences of adolescent newcomer emergent students in the U.S., (2) understand how these students use translanguaging in school, and (3) synthesize what the literature says the social justice implications are, if any, of using translanguaging as a pedagogical possibility when teaching these students. After screening 162 records that met the search criteria for this qualitative meta-analysis, 128 records were identified, assessed, and appraised. A total of 11 records were included and treated as data. They were then analyzed in order to answer the following three research questions: How might translanguaging as a pedagogical possibility impact the learning experiences of adolescent newcomer emergent bilinguals? How do adolescent newcomer emergent bilinguals use translanguaging in school? What does the literature say the social justice implications are, if any, of using translanguaging pedagogies to teach adolescent newcomer emergent bilinguals? The results of the data analysis found that translanguaging as a pedagogical possibility has a positive impact on the learning experiences of adolescent literate newcomer emergent bilinguals, but it is not enough on its own. Evidence was found that translanguaging, along with multimodal exposures to the content, allowed these students to engage more with it. However, it was also found that the level of literacy of the students was a key factor, particularly with students with interrupted formal education (SIFE) and late entrant students that had been out of school. The lack of literacy skills made it more difficult to engage with the content, even with translanguaging spaces and multimodal exposures to the content. These students also use translanguaging in a variety of ways, which enable them to do more than they would be able to do in the absence of it. It was also found that there are some social justice implications when using translanguaging pedagogies to teach these students. However, the evidence also shows that translanguaging needs to be strategic, as it isn’t a socially just act on its own.
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign