Translanguaging through the lens of social justice: unpacking educators’ understanding and practices

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article focuses on translanguaging, which has been posited as a language practice, pedagogical tool, and lens that values individuals’ linguistic resources and deems them valuable. Scholars have postulated that translanguaging is rooted in social justice, as it aims to address social inequities among emergent bilinguals. Yet, do educators address social justice objectives when using translanguaging strategies, or do they merely conceptualize translanguaging as a pedagogical tool in teaching and learning as a means to assimilate and help students succeed within an unjust system rather than changing the system? Using a historical review of the literature and data gathered through an online survey, this study sought to examine: what understanding do educators hold about the connection between translanguaging and social justice? And in what ways, if any, do these understandings align with their teaching practices? The findings from our study show that only a few educators proposed a connection between translanguaging and social justice. Moreover, even those educators who suggested a connection between the two shared little evidence of the enactment of this relationship in their practice. This article discusses these observations in the context of the education of emergent bilingual students and the development of critical awareness among their educators.