The purpose of this qualitative study was to bring awareness to the issue of English learners (ELs) being unprepared for college and to study the beliefs and perceptions of educators regarding the factors that contribute to the creation of an achievement gap between EL students and traditional students. The study involved an analysis of trends in the perceptions of school counselors, teachers, and administrators regarding EL students being ready to attend college. Data were collected from nine participants from three public high schools in Pinellas County using Zoom and email interviews and then analyzed. Four main themes emerged from the analysis of the data: (a) opportunities, (b) access to higher education, (c) school initiatives, and (d) supporting ELs. Participants expressed similar views regarding EL students being unsupported in school and in the transition from high school to higher education institutions. More professional development and appropriate support are needed to close the academic gap.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this qualitative study was to bring awareness to the issue of English learners (ELs) being unprepared for college and to study the beliefs and perceptions of educators regarding the factors that contribute to the creation of an achievement gap between EL students and traditional students. The study involved an analysis of trends in the perceptions of school counselors, teachers, and administrators regarding EL students being ready to attend college. Data were collected from nine participants from three public high schools in Pinellas County using Zoom and email interviews and then analyzed. Four main themes emerged from the analysis of the data: (a) opportunities, (b) access to higher education, (c) school initiatives, and (d) supporting ELs. Participants expressed similar views regarding EL students being unsupported in school and in the transition from high school to higher education institutions. More professional development and appropriate support are needed to close the academic gap.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kalinowska, Anna"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Higher Education Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Chabau","Dr. Goux"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-10-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-10-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z","subjects":["education","English Language Learners","higher education","achievement gap","Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education","Educational Leadership"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/774","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Chabau","Dr. Goux"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kalinowska, Anna"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-10-18T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Higher Education Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["education","English Language Learners","higher education","achievement gap","Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education","Educational Leadership"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/774"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this qualitative study was to bring awareness to the issue of English learners (ELs) being unprepared for college and to study the beliefs and perceptions of educators regarding the factors that contribute to the creation of an achievement gap between EL students and traditional students. The study involved an analysis of trends in the perceptions of school counselors, teachers, and administrators regarding EL students being ready to attend college. Data were collected from nine participants from three public high schools in Pinellas County using Zoom and email interviews and then analyzed. Four main themes emerged from the analysis of the data: (a) opportunities, (b) access to higher education, (c) school initiatives, and (d) supporting ELs. Participants expressed similar views regarding EL students being unsupported in school and in the transition from high school to higher education institutions. More professional development and appropriate support are needed to close the academic gap.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND THEIR ACCESS TO POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION: EXAMINING THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS AND COLLEGE READINESS THROUGH EDUCATORS’ EXPERIENCES AND PERSPECTIVES"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Chabau","Dr. Goux"],"dc:creator":["Kalinowska, Anna"],"dc:date.available":["2023-10-18T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this qualitative study was to bring awareness to the issue of English learners (ELs) being unprepared for college and to study the beliefs and perceptions of educators regarding the factors that contribute to the creation of an achievement gap between EL students and traditional students. The study involved an analysis of trends in the perceptions of school counselors, teachers, and administrators regarding EL students being ready to attend college. Data were collected from nine participants from three public high schools in Pinellas County using Zoom and email interviews and then analyzed. Four main themes emerged from the analysis of the data: (a) opportunities, (b) access to higher education, (c) school initiatives, and (d) supporting ELs. Participants expressed similar views regarding EL students being unsupported in school and in the transition from high school to higher education institutions. More professional development and appropriate support are needed to close the academic gap.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/774"],"dc:subject":["education","English Language Learners","higher education","achievement gap","Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education","Educational Leadership"],"dc:title":["ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND THEIR ACCESS TO POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION: EXAMINING THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS AND COLLEGE READINESS THROUGH EDUCATORS’ EXPERIENCES AND PERSPECTIVES"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Higher Education Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z"}