Translanguaging in Greek primary education: A micro-ethnographic study of refugee/migrant sudents' communication with classmates and educators

During the last decade, hyper-diverse school classe' and, by extension, hyper-diverse society' need for inclusive strategies, has been an issue preoccupying the Greek education system, especially after the newest refugee movements from the Middle East. One of the growing matters concerning research in this context, is use of the various languages spoken by newcomer students in Greek classrooms, as first languages consttute an important value in individuals, lives and multilingualism is a reality that must be taken into accounmt in the educational process. During the study presented in this paper, we investigated whether elements of translanguaging are used in the communication between students with a refugee/migrant background and their teachers and c;lassmates in Greek primary school. Through micro-ethnography and a multimethod research approach, observations were carried out in two primary school units in the city of Ioannina, as well as interviews, with teachers of students with a refugee/migrant background. Results showcased reduced translanguaging in communication within the school community, prevalence of monolingual teaching in the dominant cultural group's language, as well as reduced use of bridge languages, both by students and by teachers.