Translanguaging, identity, and ecology: synthesizing a decade of research and reimagining multilingual pedagogy

Abstract

This integrative review synthesizes research on translanguaging and multilingual pedagogies published between 2014 and 2025, tracing their theoretical, empirical, and methodological development across diverse educational contexts. Drawing on a wide range of studies, it shows how translanguaging has expanded from a descriptive account of bilingual communication into a critical pedagogical and sociocultural framework that reframes language learning in multilingual societies. Three major trends emerge: (1) the consolidation of translanguaging as a practical theory connecting cognitive, sociocultural, and ideological dimensions of language; (2) its documented potential to support learner engagement and linguistic equity across K–12, higher education, and teacher education; and (3) methodological diversification through multimodal, digital, and participatory approaches. Persistent challenges remain in teacher preparation, assessment practices, and policy alignment in predominantly monolingual systems. To address these tensions, the review proposes an Ecological-Identity Model of Translanguaging Pedagogy, which conceptualizes how pedagogical enactment, teacher identity, and institutional ecologies interact to enable or constrain sustainable practice. Emerging directions highlight integration with plurilingual frameworks, AI-mediated learning, and decolonial approaches that foreground local epistemologies and social justice. Overall, the review provides a critical, future-oriented synthesis for researchers, educators, and policymakers seeking inclusive, context-responsive approaches to multilingual education and offers an analytical foundation for examining the next phase of translanguaging scholarship.