Supporting Linguistically Minoritized Learners at Community Colleges: Developing a Translanguaging Approach to Remedial Writing Instruction

Abstract

Within the context of postsecondary education, this study explores translation as a model activity for developing a translanguaging approach to remedial writing instruction for linguistically minoritized (LM) learners. Using qualitative methods grounded in discourse analysis and translation studies, bi/multilingual participants (N=5) enrolled in community college remedial writing classes were tasked with translating a literary text, with the goal of deepening their reading comprehension and written analytical skills. This study found that a translanguaging approach yielded many of the same objectives of traditional, monolingual forms of writing instruction: promoting self-efficacy, extending lines of enquiry, invoking self-regulation, and considering readers’ perspectives. Moreover, this study underscores the sophisticated languaging resources that LM learners possess, along with potential avenues for inviting their unhindered participation in postsecondary writing classrooms.