Anna Mendoza | The University of Hong Kong (original) (raw)

Papers by Anna Mendoza

Translanguaging in the Plurilingual, English-as-a-Lingua Franca Classroom

Journal of Language, Identity & Education

This book explores the use of multilingual practices such as translanguaging, code-switching and ... more This book explores the use of multilingual practices such as translanguaging, code-switching and stylization by speakers of less commonly taught languages. It investigates how students use these languages alongside English as a lingua franca to participate in classroom tasks and social interactions in secondary classrooms in Hawai’i.

TESOL Quarterly, 2023

Translanguaging remains a timely and important topic in bi/multilingual education. The most recen... more Translanguaging remains a timely and important topic in bi/multilingual education. The most recent turn in translanguaging scholarship involves attention to translanguaging in context in response to critiques of translanguaging as a universally empowering educational practice. In this paper, seven early career translanguaging scholars propose a framework for researching translanguaging “in context,” drawing on the Douglas Fir Group's (2016) transdisciplinary framework for language acquisition. Examining translanguaging in context entails paying attention to who in a classroom wields power, as a result of their greater proficiency in societally valued languages, their more “standard” ways of speaking these languages, their greater familiarity with academic literacies valued at school, and/or their more “legitimate” forms of translanguaging. In our framework for researching translanguaging in context, we propose three principles. The first principle is obvious: (1) not to do so apolitically. The other two principles describe a synergy between ethnographic research and teacher-researcher collaborative research: (2) ethnographic research can assess macro-level language ideologies and enacted language hegemonies at the micro- and meso levels, and (3) teacher-researcher collaborations must create and sustain inclusive, equitable classroom social orders and alternative academic norms different from the ones documented to occur in context if left by chance.

System, 2022

In this study, the researchers used a survey as a semistructured interview protocol to examine te... more In this study, the researchers used a survey as a semistructured interview protocol to examine teachers' use of students' other languages in English-medium instruction (EMI) by conducting interviews with 16 primary and secondary teachers in EMI schools in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang. During the two parts of the interview (Part 1: Demographic Information and Part 2: Bi/multilingual Practices), which lasted 1.5–2 h, teachers shared their pedagogical practices based on one class of primary or secondary students. Part 1 elicited teachers’ geographic and institutional context, grade and subject matter, class language demographics, and teacher language knowledge, while Part 2 consisted of 30 multiple choice items representing different bi/multilingual classroom practices, categorized based on the literature into learning purposes, pedagogical or spontaneous practices, classroom language policies, and modality directions. Teachers rated the importance of each of the 30 practices on a Likert scale (”5/Very important” to “1/Not important”) and gave justifications and explanations that were coded inductively. Table and interview analyses show (1) which practices stood out as the most controversial, (2) what deliberations about contextual factors were involved in decision-making about them, and (3) implications for teacher professional development.

The Modern Language Journal, 2019

In volume 103 of Modern Language Journal, Stephen May suggested that the multilingual turn has no... more In volume 103 of Modern Language Journal, Stephen May suggested that the multilingual turn has not fully delivered on its promises, pointing out second language acquisition (SLA) researchers' continued focus on parallel monolingualisms rather than on dynamic bi/multilingualism, the lack of theorization of historicity in sociolinguistic research on the latter, the balkanization of academic knowledge preventing transdisciplinary scholarship, and West-centered methodological nationalism. While I agree with his points, I believe the solution requires more than critical reflexivity, reading beyond our areas of interest, and relinquishing fast-held methodological principles. Scholarly hegemony and disciplinary elitism exist because we are more than minds touting theories and epistemologies. We must acknowledge how we, as researchers, seek cultural prestige and economic well-being by affiliating with the global North and its mechanisms for knowledge production. Given this, I discuss what scholars in both the global North and South can do to reform the discipline to address May's concerns, in terms of 1 action those in the global South must consistently attempt, and 4 responsibilities of those in the global North.

to-Learn…………………………………………………………. 35 2.3 Ludic Translanguaging…………………………………………………………….. 40 2.4 Code... more to-Learn…………………………………………………………. 35 2.3 Ludic Translanguaging…………………………………………………………….. 40 2.4 Code-Switching to Organize Activity……………………………………………... 44 2.5 Multilingual Talk as Identity Negotiation…………………………………………. 53 2.5.1 Self-and Other-Stylization…………………………………………………53 2.5.2 Language Crossing………………………………………………………… 57 Chapter 3. Methodology……………………………………………………………………. 64 3.1 What is Linguistic Ethnography?…………………………………………………...64 3.2 Why use LE to Research Bi/Multilingual Classroom Talk?.……………………….68 3.3 Methods of Data Collection………………………………………………………... 74 3.4 Methods of Data Analysis…………………………………………………………..78 3.5 The English 9 Class………………………………………………………………... 82 3.5.1 The English 9 Curriculum…………………………………………………. 82 3.5.2 Juan's Educational and Professional Background………………………… 84 3.5.3 English 9 Class Dynamics…………………………………….…………… 86 3.5.4 English 9 Focal Students…………………………………….…………….. 90 3.6 The ESL 9/10 Class………………………………………………………………... 93 3.6.1 The ESL 9/10 Curriculum…………………………………………………. 93 3.6.2 Kaori's Educational and Professional Background………….…………….. 94 3.6.3 ESL 9/10 Class Dynamics………………………………….……………… 96 3.6.4 ESL 9/10 Focal Students………………………………….……………….. 98 3.7 Positionality in the Research Environment………………………………………..102 Chapter 4. Types of Mixed Language Use Observed in the Two Classes……………… 107 4.1 Translanguaging-to-Learn………………………………………………………... 107 4.2 Code-Switching in Classroom Learning Activities………………………………. 113 4.3 Ludic Translanguaging (Polylanguaging)………………………………………... 120 4.4 Self-and Other-Stylization……………………………………………………….. 126 v 4.5 Language Crossing……………………………………………………………….. 131 4.6 Limits of Spontaneous Multilingual Practices (Laissez Faire Translanguaging)… 135 Chapter 5. Majority, Minority, Singletons: The Challenges of Ethnocentrism……….. 141 5.1 Ethnocentrism in Activities Reflecting the Cultural Mainstream…………………142 5.2 Ethnocentrism in Activities Inviting Students to Talk About Their Cultures……. 152 5.3 Ethnocentrism in Activities Intended to Foster New Cultural Awareness……….. 158 5.4 The Translanguaging of Classroom Minorities and Singletons…………………...164 5.5 Code-Switching, Code Choices, and Inclusion/Exclusion………………………...169 Chapter 6. Individual Students within Translanguaging Networks…………………….181 6.1 English 9 Students' Individual Responses to the Language Questionnaire……….

Applied Linguistics Review, 2020

While much research on translanguaging is in bilingual and heritage language classrooms, it is un... more While much research on translanguaging is in bilingual and heritage language classrooms, it is under-researched in K-12 English-medium education. To better understand translanguaging in this context, this study applied interactional sociolinguistics, including analytical categories adapted from Conversation-for-Learning (Kasper and Kim, 2015; Kim, 2019), to a ninth grade English class in Honolulu with students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The study examined interactional sequences as students did literary analysis of novels and poetry over 13 weeks. These sequences involved appropriation of others’ lexical phrases, collaborative word searches, miscommunication repair, and knowledge checks. Translanguaging, when it occurred, indicated joint meaning-making across linguistic asymmetries, and was not only a means of thinking aloud using an integrated language repertoire, but a form of helping peers as students signaled to each other to adopt language, teach them something, or wo...

Critical research in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) involves a delicate balance bet... more Critical research in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) involves a delicate balance between two paradigms. On the one hand, the researcher strives to unearth and explain processes of systemic inequality and perpetual marginalization, as English language learners worldwide strive to accumulate linguistic and cultural capital. On the other hand, the researcher must recognize that learners have the right to invest in English, imagine future identities, and conceptualize their journeys as language learners as connected to a "better life story" (Barkhuizen, 2010; Darvin & Norton, 2015). This study employs narrative inquiry in an attempt to reconcile the two paradigms and give a holistic account of students' experiences. The narratives of eight international graduate students in Canada reveal that those who attended international schools and were immersed in Western popular and academic culture prior to their arrival were advantaged in academic, professional, and social contexts. Additionally, while all eight established social networks in Canada, only the one white student from Western Europe who majored in North American civilization had a social network comprised mainly of Canadians. Nevertheless, four students reported being well adjusted in Canada, personally and professionally-as each had used a set of strategies tailored to her/his individual situation to pursue an imagined future. Findings suggest that each international student must draw on her/his specific linguistic repertoire and intellectual resources to effectively navigate real and imagined communities.

Critical Inquiry in Language Studies

The author examines discourses of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs) in t... more The author examines discourses of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs) in the commercials for 2 standardized English tests: the International English Language Testing System for study abroad in English-dominant countries and the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program for Canadian permanent residency and citizenship. It illustrates how ELF and WEs, perceived as antithetical to Standard U.S. or U.K. English, have been used in these advertisements to represent diverse groups’ alignment with monolithic ideologies of globalization and nationalism—that is, unity in diversity. As such, these constructs concerning alternative varieties of English have not necessarily done anything to change the ideological underpinnings of standardized English tests, even if some of the tests are now advertised according to ELF or WEs discourses. Therefore, critical researchers and educators need to be cautious against the assumption that discourses of ELF and WEs are inherently more socially just than discourses of Standard English, as any of these discourses can serve the same ends regardless of their underlying theoretical positions.

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy

Secondary education means helping students develop a diverse repertoire of literacy skills, but t... more Secondary education means helping students develop a diverse repertoire of literacy skills, but the focus has been on disciplinary and digital literacies practiced by geographically distributed communities (an international, middle class curriculum) rather than on practices associated with orality, the trades, and minority, immigrant, and Indigenous knowledges. In contrast, critical approaches to literacy instruction recognize the need to incorporate students’ place‐based funds of knowledge into the curriculum. To illustrate one such approach, this article presents a case study of practitioner research in a secondary teacher education program. Although the syllabus of a core course on adolescent literacies focused on academic and digital ones, teacher candidates who participated in a form of qualitative inquiry called Indigenous métissage had much to say about place‐based funds of knowledge in their subject areas during a field trip and class discussion. These findings suggest that critical, place‐based literacy may be an untapped resource in teacher education.

International Journal of Multilingualism

This study took place in a 300-level Filipino class at Hawai’i's state university. Origin... more This study took place in a 300-level Filipino class at Hawai’i's state university. Originally, the researchers intended to study how English-Filipino translanguaging, the use of linguistic features of different languages to achieve meaning-making, (1) supports development of academic writing skills in Filipino for heritage learners who have undergone subtractive bilingualism and (2) challenges the ideology of discrete languages and speech communities. However, throughout the term, students’ translanguaging practices did not necessarily improve their writing skills in Filipino, and interviews revealed that they still saw themselves as having varied proficiency in English, Filipino (Tagalog-based), and other Filipino languages, which they linked to particular speech communities. Nevertheless, students participated actively and felt they were learning, and translanguaging led to understanding of deeper and more critical content. From these findings, we propose a translanguaging pedagogy that recognises the different social realms in which students have various opportunities to develop different parts of their linguistic repertoires, rather than a pedagogy that simply strives to dissolve linguistic barriers to promote bilingualism and biliteracy.

Foreign Language Annals

The primary purpose of this investigation was to put forward critical research synthesis as a qua... more The primary purpose of this investigation was to put forward critical research synthesis as a qualitative alternative to meta‐analysis in second language acquisition using as a case example studies published from 2005 to 2018 applying the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) to learners of languages other than English (LOTEs). Since L2MSS research is methodologically diverse and meta‐analysis necessarily excludes literature that cannot be subjected to its parameters, a qualitative synthetic approach with the systematicity and transparency of meta‐analysis is warranted. This study synthesizes 30 L2MSS studies on LOTEs in three world regions—Europe, Inner Circle English‐speaking countries, and Asia—and examines substantive and methodological features of the literature, including (1) the diversity of languages and educational contexts, (2) common issues of interest and findings in each world region, and (3) the strengths and limitations of quantitative and qualitative L2MSS studies. Suggestions for improving the diversity and quality of research on motivation to learn LOTEs are offered.

International Journal of Multilingualism, 2019

This study took place in a 300-level Filipino class at Hawai’i's state university. Originally, th... more This study took place in a 300-level Filipino class at Hawai’i's state university. Originally, the researchers intended to study how English-Filipino translanguaging, the use of linguistic features of different languages to achieve meaning-making, (1) supports development of academic writing skills in Filipino for heritage learners who have undergone subtractive bilingualism and (2) challenges the ideology of discrete languages and speech communities. However, throughout the term, students’ translanguaging practices did not necessarily improve their writing skills in Filipino, and interviews revealed that they still saw themselves as having varied proficiency in English, Filipino (Tagalog-based), and other Filipino languages, which they linked to particular speech communities. Nevertheless, students participated actively and felt they were learning, and translanguaging led to understanding of deeper and more critical content. From these findings, we propose a translanguaging pedagogy that recognises the different social realms in which students have various opportunities to develop different parts of their linguistic repertoires, rather than a pedagogy that simply strives to dissolve linguistic barriers to promote bilingualism and biliteracy.

Foreign Language Annals, 2019

The primary purpose of this investigation was to put forward critical research synthesis as a qua... more The primary purpose of this investigation was to put forward critical research synthesis as a qualitative alternative to meta‐analysis in second language acquisition using as a case example studies published from 2005 to 2018 applying the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) to learners of languages other than English (LOTEs). Since L2MSS research is methodologically diverse and meta‐analysis necessarily excludes literature that cannot be subjected to its parameters, a qualitative synthetic approach with the systematicity and transparency of meta‐analysis is warranted. This study synthesizes 30 L2MSS studies on LOTEs in three world regions—Europe, Inner Circle English‐speaking countries, and Asia—and examines substantive and methodological features of the literature, including (1) the diversity of languages and educational contexts, (2) common issues of interest and findings in each world region, and (3) the strengths and limitations of quantitative and qualitative L2MSS studies. Suggestions for improving the diversity and quality of research on motivation to learn LOTEs are offered.

Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 2018

Secondary education means helping students develop a diverse repertoire of literacy skills, but t... more Secondary education means helping students develop a diverse repertoire of literacy skills, but the focus has been on disciplinary and digital literacies practiced by geographically distributed communities (an international, middle class curriculum) rather than on practices associated with orality, the trades, and minority, immigrant, and Indigenous knowledges. In contrast, critical approaches to literacy instruction recognize the need to incorporate students’ place‐based funds of knowledge into the curriculum. To illustrate one such approach, this article presents a case study of practitioner research in a secondary teacher education program. Although the syllabus of a core course on adolescent literacies focused on academic and digital ones, teacher candidates who participated in a form of qualitative inquiry called Indigenous métissage had much to say about place‐based funds of knowledge in their subject areas during a field trip and class discussion. These findings suggest that critical, place‐based literacy may be an untapped resource in teacher education.

Applied Linguistics Review, 2020

While much research on translanguaging is in bilingual and heritage language classrooms, it is un... more While much research on translanguaging is in bilingual and heritage language classrooms, it is under-researched in K-12 English-medium education. To better understand translanguaging in this context, this study applied interactional sociolinguistics, including analytical categories adapted from Conversation-for-Learning (Kasper and Kim, 2015; Kim, 2019), to a ninth grade English class in Honolulu with students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The study examined interactional sequences as students did literary analysis of novels and poetry over 13 weeks. These sequences involved appropriation of others' lexical phrases, collaborative word searches, miscommunication repair, and knowledge checks. Translanguaging, when it occurred, indicated joint meaning-making across linguistic asymmetries, and was not only a means of thinking aloud using an integrated language repertoire, but a form of helping peers as students signaled to each other to adopt language, teach them something, or work through a problem together, creating opportunities to learn. These findings suggest that equity hinges not only on allowing students to learn using their whole linguistic repertoires but on social and ethical dispositions made apparent through interactional analyses.

Critical Inquiry in Language Studies , 2018

The author examines discourses of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs) in t... more The author examines discourses of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs) in the commercials for 2 standardized English tests: the International English Language Testing System for study abroad in English-dominant countries and the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program for Canadian permanent residency and citizenship. It illustrates how ELF and WEs, perceived as antithetical to Standard U.S. or U.K. English, have been used in these advertisements to represent diverse groups’ alignment with monolithic ideologies of globalization and nationalism—that is, unity in diversity. As such, these constructs concerning alternative varieties of English have not necessarily done anything to change the ideological underpinnings of standardized English tests, even if some of the tests are now advertised according to ELF or WEs discourses. Therefore, critical researchers and educators need to be cautious against the assumption that discourses of ELF and WEs are inherently more socially just than discourses of Standard English, as any of these discourses can serve the same ends regardless of their underlying theoretical positions.

Modern Language Journal, 2020

In volume 103 of Modern Language Journal, Stephen May suggested that the multilingual turn has no... more In volume 103 of Modern Language Journal, Stephen May suggested that the multilingual turn has not fully delivered on its promises, pointing out second language acquisition (SLA) researchers' continued focus on parallel monolingualisms rather than on dynamic bi/multilingualism, the lack of theorization of historicity in sociolinguistic research on the latter, the balkanization of academic knowledge preventing transdisciplinary scholarship, and West-centered methodological nationalism. While I agree with his points, I believe the solution requires more than critical reflexivity, reading beyond our areas of interest, and relinquishing fast-held methodological principles. Scholarly hegemony and disciplinary elitism exist because we are more than minds touting theories and epistemologies. We must acknowledge how we, as researchers, seek cultural prestige and economic well-being by affiliating with the global North and its mechanisms for knowledge production. Given this, I discuss what scholars in both the global North and South can do to reform the discipline to address May's concerns, in terms of 1 action those in the global South must consistently attempt, and 4 responsibilities of those in the global North.

Translanguaging in the Plurilingual, English-as-a-Lingua Franca Classroom

Journal of Language, Identity & Education

This book explores the use of multilingual practices such as translanguaging, code-switching and ... more This book explores the use of multilingual practices such as translanguaging, code-switching and stylization by speakers of less commonly taught languages. It investigates how students use these languages alongside English as a lingua franca to participate in classroom tasks and social interactions in secondary classrooms in Hawai’i.

TESOL Quarterly, 2023

Translanguaging remains a timely and important topic in bi/multilingual education. The most recen... more Translanguaging remains a timely and important topic in bi/multilingual education. The most recent turn in translanguaging scholarship involves attention to translanguaging in context in response to critiques of translanguaging as a universally empowering educational practice. In this paper, seven early career translanguaging scholars propose a framework for researching translanguaging “in context,” drawing on the Douglas Fir Group's (2016) transdisciplinary framework for language acquisition. Examining translanguaging in context entails paying attention to who in a classroom wields power, as a result of their greater proficiency in societally valued languages, their more “standard” ways of speaking these languages, their greater familiarity with academic literacies valued at school, and/or their more “legitimate” forms of translanguaging. In our framework for researching translanguaging in context, we propose three principles. The first principle is obvious: (1) not to do so apolitically. The other two principles describe a synergy between ethnographic research and teacher-researcher collaborative research: (2) ethnographic research can assess macro-level language ideologies and enacted language hegemonies at the micro- and meso levels, and (3) teacher-researcher collaborations must create and sustain inclusive, equitable classroom social orders and alternative academic norms different from the ones documented to occur in context if left by chance.

System, 2022

In this study, the researchers used a survey as a semistructured interview protocol to examine te... more In this study, the researchers used a survey as a semistructured interview protocol to examine teachers' use of students' other languages in English-medium instruction (EMI) by conducting interviews with 16 primary and secondary teachers in EMI schools in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang. During the two parts of the interview (Part 1: Demographic Information and Part 2: Bi/multilingual Practices), which lasted 1.5–2 h, teachers shared their pedagogical practices based on one class of primary or secondary students. Part 1 elicited teachers’ geographic and institutional context, grade and subject matter, class language demographics, and teacher language knowledge, while Part 2 consisted of 30 multiple choice items representing different bi/multilingual classroom practices, categorized based on the literature into learning purposes, pedagogical or spontaneous practices, classroom language policies, and modality directions. Teachers rated the importance of each of the 30 practices on a Likert scale (”5/Very important” to “1/Not important”) and gave justifications and explanations that were coded inductively. Table and interview analyses show (1) which practices stood out as the most controversial, (2) what deliberations about contextual factors were involved in decision-making about them, and (3) implications for teacher professional development.

The Modern Language Journal, 2019

In volume 103 of Modern Language Journal, Stephen May suggested that the multilingual turn has no... more In volume 103 of Modern Language Journal, Stephen May suggested that the multilingual turn has not fully delivered on its promises, pointing out second language acquisition (SLA) researchers' continued focus on parallel monolingualisms rather than on dynamic bi/multilingualism, the lack of theorization of historicity in sociolinguistic research on the latter, the balkanization of academic knowledge preventing transdisciplinary scholarship, and West-centered methodological nationalism. While I agree with his points, I believe the solution requires more than critical reflexivity, reading beyond our areas of interest, and relinquishing fast-held methodological principles. Scholarly hegemony and disciplinary elitism exist because we are more than minds touting theories and epistemologies. We must acknowledge how we, as researchers, seek cultural prestige and economic well-being by affiliating with the global North and its mechanisms for knowledge production. Given this, I discuss what scholars in both the global North and South can do to reform the discipline to address May's concerns, in terms of 1 action those in the global South must consistently attempt, and 4 responsibilities of those in the global North.

to-Learn…………………………………………………………. 35 2.3 Ludic Translanguaging…………………………………………………………….. 40 2.4 Code... more to-Learn…………………………………………………………. 35 2.3 Ludic Translanguaging…………………………………………………………….. 40 2.4 Code-Switching to Organize Activity……………………………………………... 44 2.5 Multilingual Talk as Identity Negotiation…………………………………………. 53 2.5.1 Self-and Other-Stylization…………………………………………………53 2.5.2 Language Crossing………………………………………………………… 57 Chapter 3. Methodology……………………………………………………………………. 64 3.1 What is Linguistic Ethnography?…………………………………………………...64 3.2 Why use LE to Research Bi/Multilingual Classroom Talk?.……………………….68 3.3 Methods of Data Collection………………………………………………………... 74 3.4 Methods of Data Analysis…………………………………………………………..78 3.5 The English 9 Class………………………………………………………………... 82 3.5.1 The English 9 Curriculum…………………………………………………. 82 3.5.2 Juan's Educational and Professional Background………………………… 84 3.5.3 English 9 Class Dynamics…………………………………….…………… 86 3.5.4 English 9 Focal Students…………………………………….…………….. 90 3.6 The ESL 9/10 Class………………………………………………………………... 93 3.6.1 The ESL 9/10 Curriculum…………………………………………………. 93 3.6.2 Kaori's Educational and Professional Background………….…………….. 94 3.6.3 ESL 9/10 Class Dynamics………………………………….……………… 96 3.6.4 ESL 9/10 Focal Students………………………………….……………….. 98 3.7 Positionality in the Research Environment………………………………………..102 Chapter 4. Types of Mixed Language Use Observed in the Two Classes……………… 107 4.1 Translanguaging-to-Learn………………………………………………………... 107 4.2 Code-Switching in Classroom Learning Activities………………………………. 113 4.3 Ludic Translanguaging (Polylanguaging)………………………………………... 120 4.4 Self-and Other-Stylization……………………………………………………….. 126 v 4.5 Language Crossing……………………………………………………………….. 131 4.6 Limits of Spontaneous Multilingual Practices (Laissez Faire Translanguaging)… 135 Chapter 5. Majority, Minority, Singletons: The Challenges of Ethnocentrism……….. 141 5.1 Ethnocentrism in Activities Reflecting the Cultural Mainstream…………………142 5.2 Ethnocentrism in Activities Inviting Students to Talk About Their Cultures……. 152 5.3 Ethnocentrism in Activities Intended to Foster New Cultural Awareness……….. 158 5.4 The Translanguaging of Classroom Minorities and Singletons…………………...164 5.5 Code-Switching, Code Choices, and Inclusion/Exclusion………………………...169 Chapter 6. Individual Students within Translanguaging Networks…………………….181 6.1 English 9 Students' Individual Responses to the Language Questionnaire……….

Applied Linguistics Review, 2020

While much research on translanguaging is in bilingual and heritage language classrooms, it is un... more While much research on translanguaging is in bilingual and heritage language classrooms, it is under-researched in K-12 English-medium education. To better understand translanguaging in this context, this study applied interactional sociolinguistics, including analytical categories adapted from Conversation-for-Learning (Kasper and Kim, 2015; Kim, 2019), to a ninth grade English class in Honolulu with students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The study examined interactional sequences as students did literary analysis of novels and poetry over 13 weeks. These sequences involved appropriation of others’ lexical phrases, collaborative word searches, miscommunication repair, and knowledge checks. Translanguaging, when it occurred, indicated joint meaning-making across linguistic asymmetries, and was not only a means of thinking aloud using an integrated language repertoire, but a form of helping peers as students signaled to each other to adopt language, teach them something, or wo...

Critical research in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) involves a delicate balance bet... more Critical research in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) involves a delicate balance between two paradigms. On the one hand, the researcher strives to unearth and explain processes of systemic inequality and perpetual marginalization, as English language learners worldwide strive to accumulate linguistic and cultural capital. On the other hand, the researcher must recognize that learners have the right to invest in English, imagine future identities, and conceptualize their journeys as language learners as connected to a "better life story" (Barkhuizen, 2010; Darvin & Norton, 2015). This study employs narrative inquiry in an attempt to reconcile the two paradigms and give a holistic account of students' experiences. The narratives of eight international graduate students in Canada reveal that those who attended international schools and were immersed in Western popular and academic culture prior to their arrival were advantaged in academic, professional, and social contexts. Additionally, while all eight established social networks in Canada, only the one white student from Western Europe who majored in North American civilization had a social network comprised mainly of Canadians. Nevertheless, four students reported being well adjusted in Canada, personally and professionally-as each had used a set of strategies tailored to her/his individual situation to pursue an imagined future. Findings suggest that each international student must draw on her/his specific linguistic repertoire and intellectual resources to effectively navigate real and imagined communities.

Critical Inquiry in Language Studies

The author examines discourses of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs) in t... more The author examines discourses of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs) in the commercials for 2 standardized English tests: the International English Language Testing System for study abroad in English-dominant countries and the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program for Canadian permanent residency and citizenship. It illustrates how ELF and WEs, perceived as antithetical to Standard U.S. or U.K. English, have been used in these advertisements to represent diverse groups’ alignment with monolithic ideologies of globalization and nationalism—that is, unity in diversity. As such, these constructs concerning alternative varieties of English have not necessarily done anything to change the ideological underpinnings of standardized English tests, even if some of the tests are now advertised according to ELF or WEs discourses. Therefore, critical researchers and educators need to be cautious against the assumption that discourses of ELF and WEs are inherently more socially just than discourses of Standard English, as any of these discourses can serve the same ends regardless of their underlying theoretical positions.

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy

Secondary education means helping students develop a diverse repertoire of literacy skills, but t... more Secondary education means helping students develop a diverse repertoire of literacy skills, but the focus has been on disciplinary and digital literacies practiced by geographically distributed communities (an international, middle class curriculum) rather than on practices associated with orality, the trades, and minority, immigrant, and Indigenous knowledges. In contrast, critical approaches to literacy instruction recognize the need to incorporate students’ place‐based funds of knowledge into the curriculum. To illustrate one such approach, this article presents a case study of practitioner research in a secondary teacher education program. Although the syllabus of a core course on adolescent literacies focused on academic and digital ones, teacher candidates who participated in a form of qualitative inquiry called Indigenous métissage had much to say about place‐based funds of knowledge in their subject areas during a field trip and class discussion. These findings suggest that critical, place‐based literacy may be an untapped resource in teacher education.

International Journal of Multilingualism

This study took place in a 300-level Filipino class at Hawai’i's state university. Origin... more This study took place in a 300-level Filipino class at Hawai’i's state university. Originally, the researchers intended to study how English-Filipino translanguaging, the use of linguistic features of different languages to achieve meaning-making, (1) supports development of academic writing skills in Filipino for heritage learners who have undergone subtractive bilingualism and (2) challenges the ideology of discrete languages and speech communities. However, throughout the term, students’ translanguaging practices did not necessarily improve their writing skills in Filipino, and interviews revealed that they still saw themselves as having varied proficiency in English, Filipino (Tagalog-based), and other Filipino languages, which they linked to particular speech communities. Nevertheless, students participated actively and felt they were learning, and translanguaging led to understanding of deeper and more critical content. From these findings, we propose a translanguaging pedagogy that recognises the different social realms in which students have various opportunities to develop different parts of their linguistic repertoires, rather than a pedagogy that simply strives to dissolve linguistic barriers to promote bilingualism and biliteracy.

Foreign Language Annals

The primary purpose of this investigation was to put forward critical research synthesis as a qua... more The primary purpose of this investigation was to put forward critical research synthesis as a qualitative alternative to meta‐analysis in second language acquisition using as a case example studies published from 2005 to 2018 applying the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) to learners of languages other than English (LOTEs). Since L2MSS research is methodologically diverse and meta‐analysis necessarily excludes literature that cannot be subjected to its parameters, a qualitative synthetic approach with the systematicity and transparency of meta‐analysis is warranted. This study synthesizes 30 L2MSS studies on LOTEs in three world regions—Europe, Inner Circle English‐speaking countries, and Asia—and examines substantive and methodological features of the literature, including (1) the diversity of languages and educational contexts, (2) common issues of interest and findings in each world region, and (3) the strengths and limitations of quantitative and qualitative L2MSS studies. Suggestions for improving the diversity and quality of research on motivation to learn LOTEs are offered.

International Journal of Multilingualism, 2019

This study took place in a 300-level Filipino class at Hawai’i's state university. Originally, th... more This study took place in a 300-level Filipino class at Hawai’i's state university. Originally, the researchers intended to study how English-Filipino translanguaging, the use of linguistic features of different languages to achieve meaning-making, (1) supports development of academic writing skills in Filipino for heritage learners who have undergone subtractive bilingualism and (2) challenges the ideology of discrete languages and speech communities. However, throughout the term, students’ translanguaging practices did not necessarily improve their writing skills in Filipino, and interviews revealed that they still saw themselves as having varied proficiency in English, Filipino (Tagalog-based), and other Filipino languages, which they linked to particular speech communities. Nevertheless, students participated actively and felt they were learning, and translanguaging led to understanding of deeper and more critical content. From these findings, we propose a translanguaging pedagogy that recognises the different social realms in which students have various opportunities to develop different parts of their linguistic repertoires, rather than a pedagogy that simply strives to dissolve linguistic barriers to promote bilingualism and biliteracy.

Foreign Language Annals, 2019

The primary purpose of this investigation was to put forward critical research synthesis as a qua... more The primary purpose of this investigation was to put forward critical research synthesis as a qualitative alternative to meta‐analysis in second language acquisition using as a case example studies published from 2005 to 2018 applying the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) to learners of languages other than English (LOTEs). Since L2MSS research is methodologically diverse and meta‐analysis necessarily excludes literature that cannot be subjected to its parameters, a qualitative synthetic approach with the systematicity and transparency of meta‐analysis is warranted. This study synthesizes 30 L2MSS studies on LOTEs in three world regions—Europe, Inner Circle English‐speaking countries, and Asia—and examines substantive and methodological features of the literature, including (1) the diversity of languages and educational contexts, (2) common issues of interest and findings in each world region, and (3) the strengths and limitations of quantitative and qualitative L2MSS studies. Suggestions for improving the diversity and quality of research on motivation to learn LOTEs are offered.

Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 2018

Secondary education means helping students develop a diverse repertoire of literacy skills, but t... more Secondary education means helping students develop a diverse repertoire of literacy skills, but the focus has been on disciplinary and digital literacies practiced by geographically distributed communities (an international, middle class curriculum) rather than on practices associated with orality, the trades, and minority, immigrant, and Indigenous knowledges. In contrast, critical approaches to literacy instruction recognize the need to incorporate students’ place‐based funds of knowledge into the curriculum. To illustrate one such approach, this article presents a case study of practitioner research in a secondary teacher education program. Although the syllabus of a core course on adolescent literacies focused on academic and digital ones, teacher candidates who participated in a form of qualitative inquiry called Indigenous métissage had much to say about place‐based funds of knowledge in their subject areas during a field trip and class discussion. These findings suggest that critical, place‐based literacy may be an untapped resource in teacher education.

Applied Linguistics Review, 2020

While much research on translanguaging is in bilingual and heritage language classrooms, it is un... more While much research on translanguaging is in bilingual and heritage language classrooms, it is under-researched in K-12 English-medium education. To better understand translanguaging in this context, this study applied interactional sociolinguistics, including analytical categories adapted from Conversation-for-Learning (Kasper and Kim, 2015; Kim, 2019), to a ninth grade English class in Honolulu with students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The study examined interactional sequences as students did literary analysis of novels and poetry over 13 weeks. These sequences involved appropriation of others' lexical phrases, collaborative word searches, miscommunication repair, and knowledge checks. Translanguaging, when it occurred, indicated joint meaning-making across linguistic asymmetries, and was not only a means of thinking aloud using an integrated language repertoire, but a form of helping peers as students signaled to each other to adopt language, teach them something, or work through a problem together, creating opportunities to learn. These findings suggest that equity hinges not only on allowing students to learn using their whole linguistic repertoires but on social and ethical dispositions made apparent through interactional analyses.

Critical Inquiry in Language Studies , 2018

The author examines discourses of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs) in t... more The author examines discourses of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs) in the commercials for 2 standardized English tests: the International English Language Testing System for study abroad in English-dominant countries and the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program for Canadian permanent residency and citizenship. It illustrates how ELF and WEs, perceived as antithetical to Standard U.S. or U.K. English, have been used in these advertisements to represent diverse groups’ alignment with monolithic ideologies of globalization and nationalism—that is, unity in diversity. As such, these constructs concerning alternative varieties of English have not necessarily done anything to change the ideological underpinnings of standardized English tests, even if some of the tests are now advertised according to ELF or WEs discourses. Therefore, critical researchers and educators need to be cautious against the assumption that discourses of ELF and WEs are inherently more socially just than discourses of Standard English, as any of these discourses can serve the same ends regardless of their underlying theoretical positions.

Modern Language Journal, 2020

In volume 103 of Modern Language Journal, Stephen May suggested that the multilingual turn has no... more In volume 103 of Modern Language Journal, Stephen May suggested that the multilingual turn has not fully delivered on its promises, pointing out second language acquisition (SLA) researchers' continued focus on parallel monolingualisms rather than on dynamic bi/multilingualism, the lack of theorization of historicity in sociolinguistic research on the latter, the balkanization of academic knowledge preventing transdisciplinary scholarship, and West-centered methodological nationalism. While I agree with his points, I believe the solution requires more than critical reflexivity, reading beyond our areas of interest, and relinquishing fast-held methodological principles. Scholarly hegemony and disciplinary elitism exist because we are more than minds touting theories and epistemologies. We must acknowledge how we, as researchers, seek cultural prestige and economic well-being by affiliating with the global North and its mechanisms for knowledge production. Given this, I discuss what scholars in both the global North and South can do to reform the discipline to address May's concerns, in terms of 1 action those in the global South must consistently attempt, and 4 responsibilities of those in the global North.