Translanguaging: developing scientific scholarship in a multilingual classroom

Achievement in the learning area of science in Zimbabwe shows significant gaps in comparison to other countries in the global south. Science achievement of bilingual learners has been discussed at different levels, including cultural responsiveness in science teaching, but the emphasis has been placed primarily on the development of science literacy in English which happens to be a second language to more than 80% of the learners and teachers in the country. Few studies have focused on teachers' and learners' use of translanguaging practices in a bilingual or English as Second Language science classroom. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether - and, if so, in what ways - translanguaging benefits learning with a focus on form one General Science in a rural secondary school in Zimbabwe. Results show that use of instructional materials written in home languages and allowing translanguaging practices in the classroom affect learners' performance in science tests, creates a comfortable learning environment for all learners, and provides them with a reflective space to think about how language stratification has excluded African languages that are deemed inferior from the classroom, hence from accessing scientific knowledge.