Date of Award
8-9-2025
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Languages, Literatures and Cultures
First Advisor
Lenny Sánchez
Abstract
Drawing on translanguaging theory and multimodal literacy, this dissertation examines how a multimodal translanguaging pedagogy can create a dynamic bilingual space in a Korean heritage language classroom in the southeastern United States. Using a teacher-research design and thematic analysis of classroom video recordings and student artifacts, the study explored ten instructional modules with Korean-American children aged five to six. It first identified the core components of the pedagogy, its framework, curriculum content, and teacher strategies, and then analyzed how children flexibly used Korean and English across modes such as speaking, writing, and drawing. Findings revealed diverse translanguaging forms and functions. When intentionally supported to use their full repertoires, children actively engaged in meaningful learning, drawing on bilingual resources to construct knowledge and express identity. Such engagement supported their bilingual identity formation while fostering dynamic and agentive bilingual practices. Ultimately, this study affirms that multimodal translanguaging pedagogy can transform heritage language classrooms into spaces where children’s full linguistic lives are activated, celebrated, and sustained.
Rights
© 2025, Kyungjin Hwang
Recommended Citation
Hwang, K.(2025). Developing a Dynamic Bilingual Space in an Early Childhood Korean Heritage Language Classroom Through Multimodal Translanguaging Pedagogy. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8596