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Bilingual and Multilingual Education pp 147–159Cite as

Biliteracy and Multiliteracy in Bilingual Education

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Language and Education ((ELE))

Abstract

One explicit goal of most bilingual education is for students to become biliterate. For the purposes of this review, biliteracy will be defined as “any and all instances in which communication occurs in two (or more) languages in or around writing” (Hornberger NH, Teach Coll Rec 92(2):212–229, 1990). This chapter first examines the early work in the 1980s and 1990s that established biliteracy as an important topic for research and then reviews major theoretical contributions in the development of our understanding of biliteracy including the concepts of hybridity, pluriliteracy, multimodal literacy, and the continua of biliteracy. Important venues for biliteracy including emergent biliteracy in early childhood, biliteracy in two-way immersion programs, and the development of biliteracy through the study of literature and the biliteracy workshop are examined. Then, the chapter explores the recent focus in the field of biliteracy on the concept of translanguaging. Finally, the chapter reflects on challenges that need to be further researched within the field of biliteracy. These challenges include the fact that many teachers who support biliteracy are not fluent in the languages of their students or familiar enough with their multicultural backgrounds in order to assist their students in effectively achieving a high level of biliteracy. Also, macro language policies may negatively impact the implementation of bilingual education and the development of biliteracy in individuals and communities. In addition, the needs of various populations such as high school emergent bilinguals and students with special needs are often not considered by researchers of biliteracy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, Adelphi University, Harvey Hall, Garden City, NY, 11530, USA

    Diana Schwinge

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  1. Diana Schwinge
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Correspondence to Diana Schwinge .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, New York, USA

    Ofelia García

  2. Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong

    Angel M. Y. Lin

  3. Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Stephen May

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Schwinge, D. (2017). Biliteracy and Multiliteracy in Bilingual Education. In: García, O., Lin, A., May, S. (eds) Bilingual and Multilingual Education. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02258-1_11

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