Pedagogical Translanguaging in a Puerto Rican University Classroom: An Exploratory Case Study of Student Beliefs and Practices

Abstract

While interest in pedagogical translanguaging has grown, it continues to be an underresearched area of study. The purpose of this study is to better understand student response to the use of strategic and pedagogically informed translanguaging practices in the university-level classroom. This article takes an in-depth look at the coursework and attitudes of four student cases within a single psychology classroom at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. The cases were chosen based on the students’ distinctive use of Spanish and English in their academic work. It was found that students’ stated views about translanguaging differed in significant ways from their practices of translanguaging in the classroom.