Translanguaging in action: Foundation phase learners’ use of different communicative linguistic resources for meaning-making during science education

Abstract

This study explores how primary school learners in a multilingual South African foundation phase classroom use linguistic resources during communicative exchanges in science experiments. Focusing on the topic living and non-living things, it examines how plurilingual learners creatively draw on linguistic and cultural resources to engage in science explorations. Employing an ethnographic research design, the study involved 20 participants (one Grade 3 teacher and 19 learners aged 8–10 years). Ethnographically  informed, the study collected data through video recordings and classroom interactions in a third-grade class (8–10-year-olds) to analyse their participation in both whole-class discussions and small-group interactions. Data were analysed using conversation analysis, informed by a critical ethnographic lens. This analysis considers how learners construct and communicate meaning as they interact in diverse groups. The findings reveal the importance of dialogical, open-ended classroom spaces that allow linguistically and culturally diverse learners to draw on their unique resources, enabling them to participate more fully in science discussions. Framing natural science learning as a culturally integrated practice, this study offers new insights into the complex translanguaging processes at play in foundation phase education. The findings advocate for a transformative shift in educational practices to recognise and harness the rich linguistic and cultural resources that plurilingual learners bring. Despite various linguistic discourses, the success of using different communicative resources in South African classrooms hinges on receptive, supportive contexts.