The number of linguistically and culturally diverse students entering public schools is increasing (Echeverria, Short & Powers, 2006; Williams, 2001) and mainstream teachers are responsible for making content comprehensible for these students (Clegg, 1996; Georgia Department of Education, 2008); however, test scores and graduation rates indicate that English language learners (ELLs), across the nation, are consistently underperforming on content based assessments and failing to complete high school (Carrasquillo & Rodriguez, 2006; Cruz & Thornton, 2009) . Using a constructivist lens and the concept of the instructional dynamic (Ball & Forzani, 2007), this dissertation presents the experiences of the mainstream teacher and 5 ELLs enrolled in an inclusive, single semester, secondary mainstream US Government course. Through vignettes created from observations, interviews, reflections and document analysis, this semester long qualitative case study presents the experiences of the mainstream teacher and ELLs. Constant comparative analysis of data revealed three themes (1) returning to the past; (2) navigating the classroom; and (3) preparing for the future. Continued analysis revealed five assumptions held by both the mainstream teacher and the ELLs which shaped the experiences of the participants within this mainstream classroom: (1) all members of this classroom were capable of achieving success through work; (2) achieving present success was directly linked to lessons learned from the past; (3) facilitating success means seeking to understand and interact with others (4) being a “team player” offers protection from uncomfortable situations; and (5) teachers and students expect content classes to prepare students for the future. The findings of this study capture the complexity of the mainstream classroom and imply that the success of the mainstream teacher and ELLs alike depend upon increasing appropriate professional development which maximizes the instructional knowledge of mainstream teachers, generating a supportive and collaborative school and classroom environment for teachers and students and ensuring the implementation of a relevant and immediate curriculum.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 90 pages, / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: English language learners are traditionally behind in academics such as reading, math and science. Hispanics, who make up the vast majority of English language learners, tend to not enroll in pre-school or higher education, have higher dropout rates and as adults earn less than whites. Common instructional strategies used in public schools are not meeting the needs of these students. The field of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) has typically offered a wide variety of poorly defined teaching strategies that are not based on empirical research. Within public schools, assessment tends to serve the purpose of qualifying students for ESOL services rather than being used to guide instruction. / ABSTRACT: The present study examined using the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) with three English language learners in an elementary public school setting to discern its usefulness for teachers and students. Results showed that the ABLLS could be used for English language learners, and teachers generally liked the assessment information, although the current assessment may be too lengthy and time intensive to be practical for regular education settings. Also, it did not appear that reviewing the ABLLS assessment had much effect on teacher behavior in terms of changes in instructional strategies used for the three students, although teachers did indicate that they would target different skills as a result of viewing the assessment. Suggestions are made for developing a modified version of the ABLLS for use with English language learners. / ABSTRACT: Possible trends in student data are examined, as well as possible teaching strategies that may be suggested by the ABLLS. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Instructional scaffolding is a powerful tool that many teachers utilize to meet the challenge of individualizing instruction for diverse learners. The concept of instructional scaffolding is complex (Meyer, 1993), in that teachers have to determine what, how much, and what kind of help to give to students in a moment’s notice (Rodgers, 2004/05). Gaining expertise with scaffolding can take years, which leads us to worry about the effectiveness of novice teachers. A scarcity of research examining how to support a teacher’s development of instructional decisions such as scaffolding is reported (Anders, Hoffman, & Duffy, 2000). The ability to make scaffolding decisions requires teachers to be cognitively flexible, drawing from multiple domains of understanding to meet the individual needs of a group of students. However, little is known about which domains and understandings teachers draw on during scaffolding events or the rationales underlying this decision-making process. This naturalistic study examined the decision-making processes of a novice elementary ESOL teacher as she scaffolded instruction for her third-grade students. As she videotaped what she considered to be a successful scaffolding event each week, we unpacked the event together using the lens of Cognitive Flexibility Theory (CFT). The guiding questions were: (1) How can the decision-making processes underlying a novice ESOL teacher’s instructional scaffolding be described? (2) How can the lens of Cognitive Flexibility Theory inform a novice ESOL teacher’s scaffolding decisions? Data sources included interviews, field notes, and reflections of the sessions. Constant comparative analysis (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Miles & Huberman, 1994) was used to analyze data. Rigor was demonstrated by establishing credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability (Lincoln and Guba). A grounded theory model of a kaleidoscope was created to describe the novice ESOL teacher’s decision-making processes during scaffolding events. The participant’s decisions were influenced by a variety of pedagogical and contextual domains while also being impacted by her views on scaffolding, on assessment, and on the connection between theory and practice. The participant’s conceptions of scaffolding became more complex and her confidence and sense of agency became stronger as a result of mentoring underpinned by CFT.

The purpose of this study was to examine the Spanish-speaking newcomer middle school students’ perceptions of school, expectations from school, and attitudes toward school. Of particular concern was how these students’ perceptions, expectations, and attitudes developed over a 5-month period. The theoretical framework for the study was derived from Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory; second language acquisition (SLA) theories (Dulay & Burt, 1973; Krashen, 1982; Johnson, 1996; Long, 1985; Schumann, 1978); and Norton’s (1997) theory of identity, investment, and imagined communities. The participants in this study were 4 Spanish-speaking middle school students enrolled in an Intensive English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class for students who have recently arrived in the United States, their parents, and the teacher-researcher. The study took place during the 2006-2007 school year at a diverse metropolitan city in the southeast region of the United States. Data sources included student and parent tape-recorded oral interviews, informal interviews, field notes, ethnographic participant observations, field notes, and a researcher journal. Through constant comparative analysis (Creswell, 2006), data were analyzed for themes relating to students’ perceptions, expectations, and attitudes. These themes were analyzed using the sociocultural and SLA frameworks. The analysis of the findings indicated that most participants entered U.S. schools with preexisting positive perceptions about school and that they maintained these positive perceptions during the time of the study. The data revealed that the participants had high expectations from school and overall positive attitudes toward school. An analysis of the data demonstrated that the participants’ new school environment was a critical factor in their perceptions, expectations, and attitudes. Implications of the study include the importance of honoring students’ culture, previous learning experiences, and language abilities in order to facilitate SLA, literacy development, and teacher-student relationship development.

Reading skills are essential for all students for their successful advancement through school and on into adult life. With limited English, many Non English Speaking Background (NESB) students are under-achieving at school due to their lack of reading ability in English. This research investigates a skills-based program with an emphasis on decoding (often referred to as a bottom-up theoretical perspective) compared to a program emphasising the development of comprehension strategies, where higher level thinking is required (top-down perspective). Using a case study approach with one NESB student, it appeared that a skills-based approach was more successful and preferred by the student.

Refugees resettled in the United States are expected to quickly become self-sufficient members of society despite the numerous challenges they face due to adaptation and integration into new systems and ways of life. Issues with dietary and nutritional adaptation persist for resettled refugee communities in the United States and are not prioritized by national, state, or local policy and practice. This research aimed to help mitigate problems with food assistance benefits and healthy eating issues faced by resettled refugees in Hillsborough County through an applied intervention in local English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes. ESOL materials designed to teach refugee students about healthy eating and accessing, maintaining, and using food assistance benefits such as SNAP and WIC were piloted in two classes of intermediate to advanced English ESOL students. The results of this research indicate that ESOL classes can be an effective site for intervention for food assistance, dietary, and nutritional issues affecting refugee communities. Future applications for this research can help shape future programming for other populations and communities to better address similar issues and target students with lower English abilities.

English language learners are traditionally behind in academics such as reading, math and science. Hispanics, who make up the vast majority of English language learners, tend to not enroll in pre-school or higher education, have higher dropout rates and as adults earn less than whites. Common instructional strategies used in public schools are not meeting the needs of these students. The field of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) has typically offered a wide variety of poorly defined teaching strategies that are not based on empirical research. Within public schools, assessment tends to serve the purpose of qualifying students for ESOL services rather than being used to guide instruction. The present study examined using the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) with three English language learners in an elementary public school setting to discern its usefulness for teachers and students. Results showed that the ABLLS could be used for English language learners, and teachers generally liked the assessment information, although the current assessment may be too lengthy and time intensive to be practical for regular education settings. Also, it did not appear that reviewing the ABLLS assessment had much effect on teacher behavior in terms of changes in instructional strategies used for the three students, although teachers did indicate that they would target different skills as a result of viewing the assessment. Suggestions are made for developing a modified version of the ABLLS for use with English language learners. Possible trends in student data are examined, as well as possible teaching strategies that may be suggested by the ABLLS.

Given the ongoing demographic transformations of U.S classrooms, knowledge of the strategies teachers use to address the vocabulary needs of English language learners (ELLs) is central for improving student outcomes. The problem in a Georgia school system was that ELLs were not building grade-level appropriate vocabulary at a pace comparable to that of their peers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify strategies that increase the rate of vocabulary acquisition for ELLs. In this study, 10 third grade teachers were asked about their understanding of the second language vocabulary acquisition process, which vocabulary strategies they were using to address the specific needs of these students, and the outcomes of these strategies on student learning. Three qualitative instruments were used for methodological triangulation: survey, interview, and observation. Data were analyzed using thematic coding to organize the participants' answers by naturally occurring themes. A central finding was that most teachers reported that they supplemented the existing curriculum with materials from various sources, including websites, previous curriculum, and collaboration with other teachers. The culminating project may bring positive social change via the creation of a peer professional development blog, which will provide one common place teachers in the district can turn to share successful strategies and get ideas for supplementing instruction. This project could be made public to include teachers from around the country to reach a larger group of people.

Across the nation, many school districts are challenged to improve the academic achievement of English language learners (ELLs). In a small district in Ohio approximately 86% of the ELLs passed the state Annual Measurable Objectives in reading and mathematics, however, 14% of ELL students are not meeting targeted objectives. The purpose of this study was to examine the pedagogical success of an ELL instructional program through the perspectives of the teachers, principals, and administrators in the local district. Using Rose's and Meyer's theory of the universal design for learning and the state's scaffolding framework of assessment, placement and intervention, this case study investigated the factors of effectiveness that participants felt best explained the success of the ELL program. The purposeful sample comprised 4 teachers, 2 principals, and 2 central office administrators. The research included data collected using 8 individual interviews, 1 group interview, 3 classroom observations, and document reviews. Data were coded and analyzed to reveal common themes and perceptions. Findings revealed that participants believed their efforts to develop relevant course content motivated the students to learn a new language, the application of the principles of the universal design for learning improved teachers' pedagogical practices, and the participants placed a priority on creating positive student and family relationships to encourage language learning. The findings can promote positive social change by advancing teachers' capacity to apply supportive practices and educators' efforts to improve the academic achievement of ELLs by implementing effective programs that motivate students to acquire adequate language skills.

The focus of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the impact of explicit instruction of science comparison and contrast macro text structures plus micro text structures on the content learning, sentence comprehension, and reading comprehension of eighth-grade English Learners (ELs) and non-English Learners (non-ELs) in three inclusive science classrooms. Although the results of this study did not show significant differences between groups in sentence comprehension, reading comprehension, or science content learning, the treatment group increased and maintained their science content learning scores over time, while the scores of the comparison group declined from post-test to delayed post-test. In addition, the researcher sought to determine whether sentence combination scores were a predictor of reading comprehension scores. The results showed that sentence combination scores were good predictors for reading comprehension.