Translanguaging in mathematics education: different dimensions and perspectives

Abstract This paper synthesizes and reframes scholarly work on translanguaging in mathematics education through the Translanguaging Structures Framework (TSF). This theoretical architecture reveals how structures (both local and global) and perspectives (both student and teacher) co-determine opportunities for participation, reasoning, and authorship in mathematics. Using a systematic review of 75 studies, the TSF is operationalized as a four-quadrant system: Local–Student (LS), Local–Teacher (LT), Global–Teacher (GT), and Global–Student (GS). From this, a three‑level analysis was conducted: (1) quadrant placement via transparent rating scales; (2) deductive coding anchored in TSF themes; and (3) quadrant‑wise and cross‑quadrant synthesis. Across quadrants, four field‑level conclusions recur: (a) translanguaging is constitutive of mathematical sense‑making, not merely a scaffold; (b) design mediates possibility (e.g., task, space, and uptake designs shape who can do mathematics and how); (c) agency and resistance interlock, as teachers and students negotiate and re‑author norms; and (d) monolingual assessment pressures persist, often delimiting what “counts” as mathematical competence.