Exploring the object-sourced transmodal practices of an emergent bilingual child in sociodramatic play

Abstract

This case study explores how an emergent bilingual preschooler used transmodal practices to engage with objects and compose narratives in sociodramatic play. Video recordings and field notes were collected in a dual language preschool classroom in the United States to examine the actional, verbal, and visual modes used by the focal child during his engagement with objects. An action-oriented analysis using multimodal discourse and mediated action frameworks revealed how he transmodally engaged with play artifacts to embody imagined roles and extend objects’ functionality. The child engaged with objects in three particular ways by (a) resourcing objects to advertise play to peers, (b) extending objects’ meaning potential, and (c) recruiting physical and imagined objects to elaborate on storyline. His translanguaging served as an additional compositional resource to provide contextualization for play narratives; showcase personalized meanings and underscore his multimodal intent during play; and endorse and co-opt others’ play ideas. Findings have implications for ways that early childhood teachers can use objects to promote and augment multimodal sociodramatic play scenarios.