Exploring Elementary Teachers Experiences in Enacting Translanguaging Practices with Migrant and Refugee Students

The increasing presence of migrant and refugee children in U.S. schools necessitates a critical examination of instructional practices and the development of resources that support their educational experiences. While translanguaging has gained recognition as a promising pedagogical approach, existing literature seldom addresses its application among elementary educators working with this demographic. This qualitative longitudinal case study, conducted within a refugee resettlement community, examines how two White monolingual elementary teachers navigate teaching multilingual migrant and refugee students—both as graduate students and later as in-service educators in diverse elementary classrooms. Grounded in a translanguaging framework, the study explores how the participants’ beliefs and instructional practices evolved to promote educational equity, justice, and inclusivity within predominantly English-speaking contexts. Using thematic analysis. findings reveal that the teachers adopted culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies that recognized and celebrated students’ linguistic and cultural diversity. Through reciprocal teaching and collaborative dialogue, they honed asset-oriented perspectives and created a safe environment in which students became co-constructors of knowledge. By validating students’ identities and displaying their own vulnerabilities, the teachers transformed power dynamics in the classroom, demonstrating how translanguaging enhances language and literacy development and leads to more equitable educational outcomes. This study advocates for pedagogical shifts that honor multilingual migrant and refugee students’ linguistic resources, identities, and humanity.