The growing number of English language learners in classrooms today can be seen across the United States. Despite the increase of English language learners in our schools, few teachers have been formally trained to meet their academic and linguistic needs. Training is needed for teachers of English language learners. The purpose of this study was to examine Kern County K-6 public school teachers' perceptions regarding their perceived preparedness for teaching English language learner (ELL) students the skills needed to gain English language proficiency and content knowledge before and after their participation in the SB472 English Learner Professional Development Institute. This study was conducted in June of 2009 in Kern County, California. This quantitative research study used a pre and post survey design to gather data on participants perceptions of their preparedness for teaching English language learners. The survey included 38 participants of the SB472 English Learner Professional Development Institute held in Kern County, California. The major findings of this study indicated participants perceived an increase in their level of preparedness after participation in the SB472 ELPD Institute. Additionally, respondents identified resources, support, and/or professional development needs they believed would help them to teach ELL students the skills to gain English language proficiency and content knowledge. Recommendations for further study include a study on university preparation programs to examine how teachers are being prepared to teach English language learners and a replication study of the perceptions of K-6 public school elementary teachers in California who participate in SB472 ELPD training conducted by a variety of providers.

[pt] O processo de ensino/aprendizagem de língua inglesa em contexto escolar tem sido avaliado como ineficiente pelos sujeitos envolvidos, a saber, professores, professores em formação e alunos, como apontam pesquisas recentes. Apesar de reconhecerem a importância desse idioma em suas vidas, tanto em âmbito pessoal quanto profissional, há uma crença que se perpetua no imaginário das pessoas, dentro e fora do ambiente escolar, de que a escola não é o local de se aprender uma língua estrangeira. Contudo, percebe-se que há uma crescente atenção a essa língua estrangeira pelas autoridades educacionais, como, por exemplo, a inserção desse componente curricular no Programa Nacional do Livro Didático (PNLD) em 2011. Sendo assim, esta tese buscou investigar as representações sociais de sujeitos (gestores, professores de inglês, professores de outras disciplinas e alunos) de duas escolas públicas (uma estadual e uma federal) sobre o processo de ensino/aprendizagem de inglês. A teoria das representações sociais desenvolvida por Moscovici (1961) é o principal referencial teórico da presente tese, que também considerou a perspectiva mais estrutural de tal teoria, denominada de teoria do núcleo central (ABRIC, 1976). Para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com cada um dos 26 participantes. Após análise de conteúdo e do discurso dos participantes, essa pesquisa revelou as representações sociais nucleares e periféricas sobre o ensino/aprendizagem de inglês, assim como o posicionamento discursivo dos mesmos. Os resultados revelam que a língua inglesa é considerada importante, mas ainda é muito desvalorizada em ambiente escolar. Acredita-se que saber inglês é saber falar a língua, mas a habilidade de comunicação oral não é desenvolvida nas salas de aula. Conclui-se, portanto, que as representações sociais aqui elucidadas possam vir a informar políticas públicas, para que haja melhoria da qualidade desse ensino em contexto escolar. / [en] English education at schools in Brazil has been regarded as inefficient by teachers (both pre- and in-service) and students. Although they acknowledge the importance of learning English for their personal lives and professional careers, they do not think that English classes at schools allow one to learn this foreign language. In spite of that perception, English language education has been receiving increasing attention from the authorities at different levels, e.g., English subject was inserted in the National Program of Books (known as PNLD) in 2011. Considering those efforts, this thesis aimed at revealing the social representations of English education by listening to the voices of school managers, English teachers, teachers of other disciplines and students, in two public secondary schools (one run by the State of Rio de Janeiro and the other by the federal government). The theory of social representations developed by Moscovici (1961) was the theoretical framework of this research, which has also considered the structural perspective of the referred theory, the central nucleus theory (ABRIC, 1976). As regards to the methodology, a total of 26 participants were interviewed. After content and discourse analyses of the interviews, this research has revealed the nuclear and peripheral social representations of English education, as well as the way participants positioned themselves through discourse. Results showed that the English language is regarded as important, but is still considered inefficient in school classrooms. Participants believe that learning English is learning how to speak it, but this skill is not developed at the school environment. This study may lead us to the thinking that measures should be taken in order to improve the quality of English education at Brazilian public schools.

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