Multilingual Learners as Designers of Science Communication
Transmodalising Multiliteracies Pedagogy Using Infographics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21392771 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sujin Kim (0000-0002-4251-6318, College of Education and Human Development George Mason University Fairfax Virginia USA, corresponding author), Xiaowen Chen (0000-0003-1790-691X, College of Education and Human Development George Mason University Fairfax Virginia USA), Eden Langston (College of Education and Human Development George Mason University Fairfax Virginia USA), Kathleen Ramos (0000-0002-0010-1800, George Mason University), Kathleen A Ramos (College of Education and Human Development George Mason University Fairfax Virginia USA), Cynthia Graville (College of Arts and Sciences Saint Louis University St. Louis Missouri USA) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 110 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 441-458 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Science Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0036-8326 • E-ISSN: 1098-237X |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/sce.70013 |
| OpenAlex | W4413947511 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 54 |
This study examines how transmodalising multiliteracies pedagogy (TMP) using infographics can support multilingual learners' (MLs') engagement in disciplinary learning and literacy development in science. Collaborating with 5th grade science and ESOL teachers, this study asked: (1) How did students engage in science inquiry through creating infographics? (2) How did students' engagement and design choices evolve over time? (3) What affordances and semiotic implications were made available and manifested during the process? Drawing on qualitative data, including student‐designed infographics, teacher interviews, observational field notes, and student reflections, we examined how students' disciplinary participation evolved across multiple stages of infographic design. Findings demonstrate that TMP facilitated multimodal and multilingual meaning‐making, enabling MLs to draw from their full semiotic repertoires, including home languages, to communicate complex scientific ideas. Guided to design for authentic audiences, students enacted epistemic agency through purposeful visual storytelling, audience awareness, and creative design. Rather than being limited by standardized formats or dominant language norms, students crafted disciplinary messages that reflected their lived experiences and communicative intent. This study advances TMP as a critical equity‐oriented pedagogy that repositions MLs as designers of science communication and active participants in disciplinary literacy
Infographic · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Science education · Sociology · Teaching method · Computer Science · Literacy, Media, and Education · Multilingual Education and Policy · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching
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Translanguaging
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Multimodality and Time
Transmodalities and Transnational Encounters
Considering ‘Trans-’ Perspectives in Language Theories and Practices
Critical discourse analysis of the terminology and definitions of multilingual learners across U.S. policies vs. the Wida ELD standards
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Teacher professional development programs integrating science and language with multilingual learners
Conceptualizing community translanguaging through a family literacy project
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The Routledge handbook of discourse analysis
The language of ciencia
New Digital Media and Learning as an Emerging Area and "Worked Examples" as One Way Forward
Disciplinary Literacy
Aiming for Authenticity
Transmodalising pedagogy
A disciplinary perspective on translanguaging
Literacy
Multimodality in the New Content Standards Era
(Re)imagining the Future of Translanguaging Pedagogies in Tesol Through Teacher–Researcher Collaboration
Learning to read and write genre‐specific text
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Chapter 3
Translanguaging as a Practical Theory of Language
Multiliteracies in Practice
Teacher Professional Development to Improve Science and Literacy Achievement of English Language Learners
From Digital Consumption to Digital Invention
Multiplicities in Motion
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |