UC Santa Cruz

The recent theoretical debate over the role of translanguaging in dual language programs can be described as moving from prohibition to promotion. Indeed, many researchers, theorists, and educators are now encouraging translanguaging. At the center of the debate are teachers and their beliefs, which some argue influence their practice. Teachers’ beliefs and practices are also determinant of what happens in the classroom and directly influences student learning. This study explored teacher beliefs and responses to translanguaging in dual language elementary mathematics classrooms, as well as the functions that the translanguaging served. The study design aimed to reduce inconsistencies between beliefs and practices in previous studies and broaden understanding of translanguaging in less-studied contexts. Each chapter is written as a separate paper, which approaches these topics from different perspectives. The first paper explored 14 elementary dual language teachers’ beliefs and responses to students’ translanguaging. The findings show that the teachers held principally permissive beliefs and uniformly permitted translanguaging. The results suggest a reappraisal of the practices and purposes of translanguaging, especially as they relate to teacher beliefs. The second paper sought to understand 14 dual language elementary teachers’ beliefs and practices of their own translanguaging. It explored the functions it served and the alignment between their beliefs and practice. The findings indicate that while teachers’ beliefs primarily recognize the academic functions of translanguaging, their practice is primarily for social functions. This suggests a necessary reevaluation of the purposes of translanguaging and the associated pedagogical and research implications. The third paper explores how translanguaging rates vary as a function of language of instruction, student language proficiency, location and translanguaging function. It analyzes the translanguaging practices of students and teachers in 32 elementary Spanish-English dual language mathematics classrooms in Texas and California. The findings challenge previous research regarding teachers’ response to translanguaging in dual language programs and the relationship between language proficiency and translanguaging. They also support previous research regarding translanguaging demonstrating an awareness of the linguistic capital and symbolic power that the language of power bestows and contextual patterns of translanguaging. The findings indicate that further research is required, and teacher education and dual language programs need to approach translanguaging from a new perspective.