ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the theoretical framework that informed this study by discussing (a) a sociocultural perspective on literacy and learning (Heath, 1983; Street, 2003; Vygotsky, 1978) and (b) translanguaging theory (García, 2009) from a heteroglossic perspective (Bakhtin, 1981, 1984). The chapter introduces translanguaging theory as a new paradigm in bilingual education and research. Next, the chapter discusses recent studies that were conducted from a heteroglossic perspective by investigating teachers’ use of translanguaging as their pedagogical practice in their bilingual classrooms. Then the chapter displays how the emergent bilinguals were able to utilize their complete language repertoires orally and during writing. Then, the chapter examines the literature on the nature of interwoven language practices, which displayed evidence of translanguaging in homes, families, and communities. The chapter then provides a summary that reviews the literature discussed and identifies gaps that exist in the literature. The chapter ends with the purpose of the book by providing research questions of the current study.
