Designing Translingual and Transmodal Scaffolding and VR Pair Programming for Supporting Multilingual Learners’ Participation in Scientific Sensemaking

This single case study examines the implementation of a co-designed fifth-grade science unit enhanced by using Virtual Reality (VR) and integrating translingual and transmodal scaffolding strategies to support students’ participation and quality of talk during scientific sensemaking. The co-designed science unit covered physical and chemical changes as part of the fifth-grade science curriculum. The research involves a fifth-grade science teacher and her class of 22 students comprising multilingual learners (ML) and English monolingual learners (EML). This study examines the learning experience of 3 student pairs grouped as ML-ML, EML-ML and EML-EML. Using content analysis, we analyzed 911 min of video data on the six students’ learning in this unit. The results indicate that when the teacher used translingual and transmodal scaffolding strategies introduced during the co-design process, equal participation across MLs and EMLs was observed. The VR pair programming worked well for student pairs in increasing active participation regardless of the pairing, although active participation did not necessarily lead to high quality science talk. Findings of this study provide implications and recommendations for leveraging the scaffolding from teachers, materials, and VR pair programing activity to support the equal participation and quality of talk among all learners during scientific sensemaking.