From learner to ambassador: Navigating cultural identity in foreign language classrooms through a transpositioning lens

Abstract

The concept of transpositioning, introduced by Li and Lee, describes how individuals fluidly shift their identities through dynamic translanguaging practices. Recent developments extend this framework to include transmodal practices, which complement and enhance meaning-making across linguistic, visual, and multimodal resources in multilingual settings. Drawing on this perspective, the present study explores how teachers and students co-construct and negotiate cultural identity in L3 Spanish classrooms. Based on 540 min of classroom observations, stimulated recall interviews with two teachers, and open-answer questionnaires from 40 students, our findings reveal that transpositioning occurs concurrently, with both teachers and students embodying multiple identities. We identified three states in the emergence of knowledge and communication, illustrating the complex flow of cultural identities within the relational dynamics of the classroom. This study concludes that both translanguaging and transmodal practices can facilitate identity navigation, helping participants to transcend linguistic and cultural barriers. These practices, in turn, enhance teaching effectiveness and contribute to a more interactive and flexible classroom environment.