Translanguaging to support emergent bilingual students in English dominant preschools: An explanatory sequential mixed-method study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Emergent bilinguals (EB) from Spanish-speaking homes are an already large and rapidly growing population in the U.S., yet limited research examines their language environments, particularly in the English dominant contexts where most attend school. This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study first quantitatively examines adults’ use of Spanish and use of questions in audio recordings captured by microphones worn by EBs (N = 12) in English dominant preschools. Because a correlation between use of Spanish and use of open-ended questions was found, the authors engaged in further qualitative analysis of Spanish utilization to gain insight into the nature of the relationship. Qualitative analysis suggests that teachers’ use of translanguaging enabled EBs to participate more fully in English dominant classrooms.