Translanguaging Towards Equitable Participation: Doing Research Multilingually With People With a Migration Background

Erin Gail MacDonald, Mirona Moraru, Arthur Bakker and Elma Blom
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Erin Gail MacDonald: Development and Education of Youth in Diverse Societies, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Mirona Moraru: Development and Education of Youth in Diverse Societies, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Arthur Bakker: Research Centre for Curriculum Studies, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Elma Blom: Development and Education of Youth in Diverse Societies, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Social Inclusion, 2026, vol. 14

Abstract: Doing research with multilingual people belonging to marginalized groups involves reconsidering our methods of inquiry. Language differences between researchers and participants can render the lived experiences, multilingual subjectivities, and knowledge of the participants unrecognized and undervalued. This is amplified in educational settings, where a monolingual norm can be pervasive, delegitimizing other languages that are important for sharing values and knowledge. Based on a codesign study with multilingual caregivers with a migration background, the present article aims to reflect on how translanguaging can be employed as a methodological approach in research processes. Translanguaging is defined here as promoting the use of a person’s entire linguistic repertoire to make meaning and (more equitably) participate in research. We draw on three codesign rounds conducted in the Netherlands involving ten multilingual caregivers. In a reflection based on fieldnotes, artefacts, and pictures collected during participant observation in 22 codesign meetings, we formulate seven heuristics that could be helpful to other researchers or practitioners employing translanguaging in research processes. These are: (a) encouraging and modeling the use of multiple languages; (b) using multilingual resources; (c) using translation apps; (d) using an interpreter; (e) encouraging brokering; (f) encouraging same‐language group pairings; and (g) building in the time necessary to legitimize translanguaging strategies. By sharing our reflections and heuristics, we hope to foster equitable participation of marginalized groups in research, with a specific reference to participants with a migration background.

Keywords: multilingual caregivers; participatory research; researching multilingually; translanguaging (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:socinc:v14:y:2026:a:10867

DOI: 10.17645/si.10867

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