Translanguaging And Transnational Inquiry In The IB Primary Years Programme: Bridging Inequalities And Fostering Intercultural Empathy In A Binational U.S. Colombia Experience

Abstract

In today’s world more connected than ever, yet marked by deep inequalities primary education bears a real responsibility to help children grow into critical thinkers who speak multiple languages and act with genuine ethical concern for others. This participatory action research examined a transnational collaboration in 2025 between one International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) schools: one charter school in Norman, Oklahoma (USA) and one public school in Ocaña, Norte de Santander (Colombia). Over six weeks, 35 fifth-grade students (26 in the United States and 9 in Colombia) explored the transdisciplinary unit “Where We Are in Place and Time.” The project stood out for its integration of inquiry, everyday bilingualism (through extensive natural translanguaging), and concepts of global citizenship.

Evidence was gathered through classroom observation, student portfolios, CER rubrics to assess argumentative quality, pre- and post-project surveys, and a live international “mirror class” via Zoom that emerged as a key highlight. The results were clear and encouraging: students generated 68 authentic questions and demonstrated clear progress in argumentation (CER rubric average reached 4.2 out of 5); translanguaging was used freely not only to explain academic ideas but also to express surprise or excitement; and intercultural empathy increased noticeably, with 91% agreeing “we are different, but equal” and 89% reporting they truly felt connected to peers in the other country.

This work contributes meaningfully to the field: it extends García’s (2014) ideas on translanguaging by applying them to transnational inquiry within the PYP context, and it provides a practical, replicable model capable of bridging significant resource and access disparities between schools in the Global North and South. Above all, the findings highlight that even a regular primary classroom can become a space for ethical, multilingual learning where children develop their own voice, think critically, and begin to feel part of something much larger. This reflects precisely the kind of education that Sustainable Development Goal 4.7 and the IB philosophy advocate.