New open-access FLA article: Translanguaging in a Mandarin FLES program
Zhongfeng Tian
Dear Colleagues,
Xinyue Lu (Howard University) and I are excited to share our open-access article in Foreign Language Annals:
Lu, X., & Tian, Z. (2025). Translanguaging in a culturally and linguistically diverse Mandarin FLES program. Foreign Language Annals, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.70011
Abstract: This study explores translanguaging practices in a K-5 Mandarin Foreign Language in Elementary School (FLES) program in the United States. Using an ethnographic case study approach, it examined how a Mandarin teacher enacted translanguaging practices in two fourth-grade Mandarin classrooms and explored the affordances these practices provided for her multilingual students. The analysis of classroom video-recordings and artifacts revealed that by leveraging students' home languages (e.g., Spanish), multimodal and semiotic resources, and peer collaboration, the teacher created opportunities for students to express their understanding in various ways, challenged monolingual ideologies, and empowered multilingual identities. The study highlights how teachers can enact translanguaging by making intentional pedagogical choices that harness available resources in the classroom. It also challenges the assumption that exclusive target-language use is the most effective route to proficiency, advocating instead for pedagogical approaches that recognize and build upon students' multilingual identities as assets in world language learning.
This is among the early empirical studies examining translanguaging in U.S. world language classrooms. We suggest revisiting rigid interpretations of ACTFL’s “90% target-language” guideline: when used strategically, translanguaging can work alongside extensive target-language exposure to support language development, participation, and learner agency.
Would love to hear how this resonates with your contexts or courses. Thanks for reading!
Best,
Zhongfeng
Zhongfeng Tian (田中锋), Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Bilingual Education
Department of Urban Education
Rutgers University–Newark
Past Chair, AERA Bilingual Education Research SIG
(Faculty Webpage; ResearchGate; Google Scholar; LinkedIn; Scopus)