Multilingualism as a Resource: A Systematic Review on the Use of Translanguaging for the Well-Being of Students in Primary Education

The Global South is home to a rich tapestry of languages, with over 2000 languages spoken across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific. However, this linguistic diversity is threatened by the legacy of colonialism, globalization, and urbanization, which have contributed to language shift, language loss, and language inequality. As a result, many communities in the Global South face significant challenges in accessing education, economic opportunities, and social services due to language barriers. Translanguaging, as an academic domain, has progressed significantly in its endeavour to decolonize language education environments, thereby empowering educators and facilitating enhanced cognitive engagement and well-being of learners. Thus, the current chapter reports a systematic review study of the use of translanguaging to effectively meet the linguistic needs of primary school learners. The data was gathered from 12 peer-reviewed journal articles with a focus of recently published articles between 2020 and 2024 in three different countries in the Global South namely, China, Morocco, and South Africa. Framed within the context of Southern theoretical frameworks, both thematic and intersectional analytical approaches were employed. Based on the 12 reviewed articles four themes emerged namely: identity and belonging, cognitive and academic excellence, inclusion and transformation and lastly, policy and practice. Useful pedagogical recommendations for teaching primary learners from the ubuntu translanguaging perspective are provided for adaptation in related contexts.