First presenter: Jenny Rosén [email protected], [email protected]
Second presenter: Nigar Sadig, Boglárka Straszer, Åsa Wedin
Title (max. 15 words): Spaces for translanguaging in the discourse of mother tongue
tuition
Key words (max. 5): translanguaging space, mother tongue tution, linguistic
landscape,
The central research aim(s), problem(s) and/or question(s) (max. 200 words):
The aim of this presentation is to analyze spaces for translanguaging in mother
tongue tuition in Swedish elementary school and also, through such analysis we want
to critically explore the notion of translanguaging space.
Theoretical and methodological framework and/or derivation from practice (max.
200 words):
The presentation takes its point of departure in Li Wei’s use of the concept
translanguaging, which builds on the psycholinguistic notion of languaging, meaning
“the process of using language to gain knowledge, to make sense, to articulate one’s
thought and to communicate about using language” (Li, 2011: 1223). Further, Li
Wei introduces translanguaging space as a space created through the translanguaging
process and as a space which creates possibilities for translanguaging, offering a
“sense of connectedness” (Li, 2011: 1222-1223). In this presentation we develop the
concept of translanguaging space by including insights from the field of linguistic
landscape (e.g. Landry & Bourhis, 1997) as well as theoretical perspectives on
spatiality and different dimensions of space.
Research design, methods and data analysis (max. 200 words):
The empirical material analyzed was created in the on-going study Mother tongue
tuition and Study guidance in compulsory school (2015
‒2017).
project is to examine the professional roles and identities of Mother Tongue Tuition
(MTT) teachers and Study Guidance in Mother Tongue (SGMT) assistants in
classroom practices in Sweden as well as to investigate the interactional patterns in
related classroom activities. The data includes national policy documents published
by the Swedish National Agency for Education, observations, interviews, surveys,
fieldnotes, video and audio recordings and photographs. For this presentation the
material consists primarily of interviews and classroom observations documented
through notes, video recordings and photographs from school settings, where a high
number of pupils have a language other than Swedish at home and where many have
an immigrant background or parents/grandparents with immigrant background.
Results and main conclusions (max. 200 words):
Previous research (e.g. Lainio, 2013) highlights the marginalized position of MTT in
Swedish schools. Other scholars have raised the question of authenticity in regard to
minority languages in MTT (Ganuza & Hedman in press; Creese, Blackledge &
Takhi, 2014). Although the result of the present study points partly in the same
direction, the MTT teachers give voice to a more inclusive discourse in regard to
authenticity and language protection, hence opening up the classrooms for
translanguaging practices. Moreover, part of the teachers included in the study, work
together with other teachers in mainstream classrooms and have a more solid
position in the schools. Other MTT teachers ambulate between different schools,
making the spatial organization of MTT more complex in terms of time, place and
relations. Using translanguaging space as an analytical tool brings new perspectives
on marginalization and visibility of multiple languages as well as MTT in the schools
included in the project.