What's Happening During Read-Aloud: Translanguaging Practices in Chinese American Bilingual Families

Guided by sociocultural perspectives and translanguaging pedagogy, this multiple case study examined how first-generation Chinese mothers read aloud with their U.S.-born children at home in an urban Midwestern city. Findings indicate that mothers and children in these bilingual families spontaneously used translanguaging practices to construct meaning. The study offers insight into first-generation Chinese American bilingual families’ home read-aloud practices. It suggests that PreK-12 teachers need to understand these families’ cultures and provide space for translanguaging pedagogy to promote the bilingual and biliteracy development of their multilingual students.