Supporting English Learners in Elementary Classrooms: How Teacher Preparation Affects EL Achievement

<p>Due to an increasing number of English learning children entering the U.S. public school system (Tinkler., Tinkler, Reyes, & Elkin, 2019), there is a need for teachers to be prepared and feel confident in providing adequate English language instruction and academic content to support these young learners. There is also limited research on the effectiveness of instructional strategies that elementary teachers use to engage and instruct English learning students, including technology as a strategy (Chang & Hung, 2019). This study uses qualitative data analysis to examine instructional strategies and practices, as well as teacher’]s’ own perceptions and experiences that support English learners in a Northern California public school. Six teacher participants, instructing grades kindergarten through fifth grade, were interviewed about their experiences in working with a high demographic of English learning students. Findings from this research indicate that both pre-service training and in-service professional development, in regards to English learners, is imperative for proper instruction in both second language acquisition and grade-level academic content. Findings also suggest that teachers rely on certain strategies and programs that help support EL students.<strong> </strong>By implementing change within credentialing programs and school district professional development opportunities, teachers can be better prepared to support English learning students.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Year dc:date.available

2022

Author dc:creator

• Whitman, Jordan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Katherine Lewis, PhD
• Kathleen Ferrando, MEd

• English language Learner
• teaching
• strategies
• preparation
• support
• instruction
• acquisition
• Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Education
• Elementary Education
• Elementary Education and Teaching
• Language and Literacy Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.dominican.edu/education-masters-theses/49

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.dominican.edu:education-masters-theses-1048