“I had to learn English ‘the correct way’ so I wouldn't be seen as less”: Students' perspectives on translingual pedagogy in postsecondary academic writing

Abstract

Despite increased advocacy for translingual pedagogy, little research has explored how college students in mainstream academic writing classrooms—many of whom are multilingual, first-generation students—perceive this approach. Drawing on artifacts collected throughout one semester including surveys, metacognitive reflections, article annotations, and research papers, this study examines the perception of 38 students at a Hispanic-serving institution on the role of translingual pedagogy in their academic writing experiences. We found that while students reported a strengthened sense of identity and cultural expression, they often expressed significant discomfort and engaged in self-censorship when incorporating their home language(s) into academic writing. These challenges were particularly evident among first-generation, multilingual students who had internalized monolingual norms from an early age, as they had long been discouraged from using their home language(s) in academic settings. For these students, leveraging their full linguistic repertoire was both liberating and fraught with anxiety, as they feared deviating from standard English might compromise their academic legitimacy and disqualify them from participating in the professional world. We underscore the need for a nuanced translingual pedagogical framework that not only embraces linguistic diversity but also addresses the complex barriers students face when bringing their home language(s) and other language varieties into academic spaces.