Print(“¡Hola!”, “কেমন আছেন?”, “안녕”): A Systematic Review of Translanguaging & Language Mixing in CS Education

<p>In a field as English-dominated as computing, understanding the design of effective pedagogy for multilingual students remains a critical area of research for the purposes of broadening participation in computing. This literature review examines how theories of translanguaging and language mixing---which includes code-switching and code-mixing---are engaged with in computing education research. We reviewed 22 papers filtered from an initial set of 920, addressing three questions: 1) how these theories are currently used in computing education research, 2) the depth at which they are engaged, and 3) what benefits and challenges researchers identify when leveraging translanguaging and language mixing in bi/multilingual computing instruction. Findings reveal that most studies invoke translanguaging instrumentally, naming or briefly relating it to their work, rather than engaging it as a guiding theoretical framework. Studies engaging more deeply do so in pursuit of equity and broadened participation for language-minoritized students. Documented benefits include increased engagement, higher-order questioning, and greater comfort with programming concepts, while challenges include English-dominant programming environments, insufficient scaffolding, and limited educator preparedness. This review surfaces critical gaps and offers directions for future research and pedagogy on translanguaging and language mixing in multilingual computing education.</p>