Translanguaging in the English medium instruction classroom: a heuristic critical ethnography
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This heuristic critical ethnography explores the experiences of both multilingual and monolingual students in an English Medium Instruction (EMI) classroom implementing translanguaging pedagogy (TP) at a linguistically diverse public high school in the Midwestern United States. The study investigates how TP shapes student engagement, identity, and academic experiences by encouraging the use of students’ full linguistic repertoires within classroom instruction and interaction. The translanguaging classroom itself serves as the unit of analysis, providing a lens into the social, emotional, and academic dynamics that emerge in EMI spaces where language is treated as a resource rather than a barrier. Grounded in translanguaging theory (García & Wei, 2014), sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978), and critical theory, this qualitative study utilized classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis to capture nuanced perceptions and practices. Data analysis revealed four central themes: Building Classroom Community, Teacher as Reflective Practitioner, Language as Identity, and Equity Tensions. These themes demonstrate how translanguaging not only supports linguistic access and identity affirmation for multilingual learners but also facilitates inclusive collaboration and empathy among monolingual students. The teacher’s reflective practice emerged as instrumental in fostering an environment where translanguaging was embedded in both pedagogy and classroom culture. At the same time, findings illuminated persistent equity tensions, including linguistic hierarchies and systemic barriers that affect students’ access to language resources and participation. These findings underscore the potential of translanguaging pedagogy to advance equity in EMI classrooms, while also highlighting the institutional limitations that constrain its full implementation. This study contributes to the growing field of research on translanguaging in secondary EMI contexts, offering implications for teachers, school leaders, and policymakers seeking to foster more inclusive, linguistically responsive educational environments. It calls for professional development, structural support, and policy reform that center students’ linguistic and cultural resources as assets for learning and belonging.
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Introduction -- Theoretical framework -- Review of literature -- Methodology -- Findings -- Conclusion
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Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)