Translanguaging as mediated praxis: A comparative case study of bilingual and monolingual teachers experimenting with translanguaging pedagogy

Abstract

This comparative case study explores the learning trajectories of two teachers (one bilingual, one monolingual) who participated in translanguaging professional development, considering how contextual and individual factors shaped their evolving translanguaging stance and design. Findings reveal both teachers shifted toward more intentional, expansive understandings of bilingualism, although this manifested differently for each. We argue that teacher education research on translanguaging needs to shift not only from “unofficial” to “purposeful” translanguaging policies, but toward understanding translanguaging as mediated praxis. This lens foregrounds the individual, ideological, and logistical factors shaping classroom translanguaging and illuminates supports teachers need to enact meaningful translanguaging pedagogy.