In 2000, the passage of Proposition 203 in Arizona virtually replaced bilingual education with a Structured English Immersion (SEI ) program. In 2006, the State legislature passed House Bill (HB) 2064 which essentially segregated ELL students for four hours of the school day in an SEI classroom in which English Language Development (ELD) was taught. In 2008, the four-hour SEI block was mandated in public schools across Arizona.This study investigated the lived experiences of public school teachers teaching the four-hour SEI block, the relationship between what these teachers know about second language acquisition and the strategies they utilized, and what they identified as the strengths and weaknesses that resulted from the four-hour SEI block and its implementation.Nine K-12 SEI teachers from one school district in Southern Arizona participated in this study. Qualitative research methodologies were used to collect and analyze data.The results of this study showed that teachers' experiences and teaching strategies were diverse and greatly influenced by their classroom composition, professional development, interpretation of the laws surrounding the program, and directives given by administrators. Findings from this research also indicated that teachers identified substantially more concerns than advantages related to the four-hour SEI program. Specifically, teachers thought the SEI classroom provided a safe environment in which students could practice English. However, teachers were concerned about the negative social and academic repercussions experienced by ELLs as a result of the SEI program and also expressed their own professional concerns related to the four-hour model.

This thesis aims to explore the mathematics achievement of second language immigrants in compulsory school as they continue their schooling in Sweden. Specifically, the thesis aims to generate more knowledge about different sub-categories of second language students, namely newly arrived immigrants, early arrived immigrants and other second language students in compulsory school. The data in this thesis consists of students’ responses to test items and thus mainly contains mathematical symbols, essentially numbers in different representations, written by the students. Doing so, this thesis problematizes the concept of second language students in mathematics in two aspects. One aspect is to assess the first and second language students’ achievement in different mathematical content domains, instead of only assessing the total achievement. Another aspect is to see the second language students as different sub-categories of second language students. Papers I and II of this thesis found that the achievement difference between first and second language students is not homogeneous. Instead the achievement difference between first and second language students is larger for concepts that are rare in mathematics textbooks. Moreover, the achievement difference between first and second language students varies with the content domain. Another way to say this is that first and second language students have different achievement profiles. Papers III and IV of this thesis explored how sub-categories of second language students achieved on mathematics test items. Mathematics achievement studies on second language students often classify the second language students into a single category of students. Methodologically this imposes a concept of viewing second language students as homogeneous in proficiency in the language of instruction. This view is challenged in this thesis by dividing the second language students into newly arrived immigrants, early arrived immigrants and other second language students. These three sub-categories have different proficiency in Swedish language due to how long they have lived in Sweden. Papers III and IV found that these student categories both had different test achievement and, related to this, also used mathematical concept representations differently. In particular, the newly and early arrived immigrants seemed to experience on average different challenges during mathematics testing. The newly arrived students seemed more challenged with terminology but less with the mathematical content while the opposite seemed to hold for the early arrived students. An implication for teaching is that particularly early arrived second language children seem to be in urgent need of support in mathematical concept building from first day of schooling in the new country. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: In press. Paper 3: Manuscript.</p>

In this thesis, the three hypotheses on the nature of early L2 acquisition (the Full Transfer/Full Access view of Schwartz and Sprouse (e.g., 1996), the Minimal Trees view of Vainikka and Young-Scholten (e.g., 1996), and the Valueless Features view of Eubank (e.g., 1996)), are discussed. Analysis of the early French production by two native speakers of Moroccan Arabic is done to determine if the L1 grammar is transferred onto the L2 grammar. In particular, the phenomena of verb-raising (as determined by the verb's position vis-a-vis negation) and finiteness are examined. The results of this study indicate that the relevant structures of Moroccan Arabic do not transfer onto the emerging French grammar.

The major purpose of this study was to determine the possible correlation between reading and writing abilities of college students who are identified as second language learners. It was also aimed at determining the relationships between variables pertaining to the ESL college students, namely, their self-selected reading materials, their reading interests, the amount of time spent studying English, how they studied English, how they were taught English, and the length of residence in the United States.

This dissertation examines the question how do ESL teachers perceive the prereferral process for identifying adolescent Latino English language learners with specific learning disabilities? The study fits within the Latino Critical Race Theory framework and employs an interpretive phenomenological qualitative research approach. Participants were six secondary-level ESL teachers from two school districts with small ELL populations. Data consisted of in-depth interviews, researcher notes, and analytical memos. Phenomenological data analysis procedures followed recommendations by Colaizzi (1978) and Smith, Flowers, and Larkin (2009). Data validity measures included second-researcher review and member-checking. Results of the study are presented as descriptions of how participants perceived the prereferral processes for identifying adolescent Latino English language learners with suspected specific learning disabilities. Nine categories emerged from the interviews: (a) Characteristics and behaviors; (b) instructional supports and interventions; (c) progress-monitoring; (d) use of RTI; (e) prereferral outcomes; (f) parental participation; (g) special education department response; (h) identification challenges; and (i) recommendations. Implications of the study findings for policy, research, and educator practice are noted.

Grounded theory was used to examine the social work perspective on English language learners (ELLs) entering special education. Fourteen interviews were conducted with 11 current school social workers from seven counties and cities in Virginia. The resulting theory is that the core variable, supporting ELLs, is the best attempt to resolve the main concern, the disconnect between the needs of ELLs and the resources available to them. This grounded theory suggests social workers and other school personnel can support ELLs and avoid an inappropriate referral to special education through: (1) culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment outside of the special education process, with particular attention to needs related to trauma and language acquisition; and (2) connection to available culturally and linguistically appropriate resources to meet the identified needs. Key findings are organized into eight dimensions: the school setting; the policy context; the needs of ELLs, engaging families of ELLs; community connections; the professional setting; the special education process; and the profession of social work. Implications include recommendations for policy change, changes to school social work practice, and changes in social work education. Further research includes testing the theory by examining the relationships between assessment, need, resource availability, and disproportional representation, as well as related areas of research such as the differences between high-ELL and low-ELL school divisions.

This study consisted of an online survey of members of the National Art Education Association Elementary Division in which 29 participants answered questions related to their instruction of English language learners in the elementary art classroom. Four participants participated in follow-up interviews as the researcher sought to answer the research questions: What pedagogical and curricular adaptations in the art classroom may be effective strategies for teaching English language learners? What are the perceived challenges of having a linguistically diverse art classroom? Participants offered a variety of pedagogical adaptations but suggested few curricular adaptations. Participants revealed challenges related to their teacher preparation and efforts to communicate clearly with students. The findings of the study also raise concerns that the needs of English language learners may not be recognized or met due to some educators’ lack of awareness of cultural differences and the assumption that art is a universal language.

This study investigated the viability of a Digital Badge system to deliver professional development to teachers working with English language learners. The study asked several research questions to determine if Purdue’s Passport system was effective at delivering ELL teacher PD. First, the study asked, is a digital badge system a viable tool for delivering professional development to in-service teachers of English language learners? This question helped determine if the in-service teachers participating in this study would be able to obtain the training materials and navigate the online system on their own to obtain the digital badge.<div><br> <div>Then, the study asked, what types of training do ELL teachers think could be converted to digital badges? This question was asked to identify the types of trainings the participants in this study believed could be transferred to an online system such as Purdue’s Passport system and delivered as individual badges teachers could complete with little to no assistance. This question also helped investigate how teachers perceive the current training they attend in face-to-face sessions. <br></div><div><br></div><div>The final question the study asked was, what are ELL teachers’ perceptions of digital badges and their role in professional development? The final question was asked to determine if the participants’ attitudes toward digital badges changed throughout the study and what the participants believed digital badges’ role could be in delivering ELL teacher professional development. <br></div><div><br></div><div>The data collected in this study included the participants’ written reflections within the digital badge system, pre and post-surveys and interviews after they completed the running record badge. The results of this qualitative study suggest that for in-service teachers there are some benefits to delivering ELL teacher PD through digital badges. Results indicate that the participants enjoyed the ability to complete the training on their own schedule and had no issues viewing the content within the running record digital badge. The participants also had numerous recommendations for the types of training they believed could be converted to digital badges and how a digital badge system could be implemented at their school.<br></div></div>

Thesis advisor: Marilyn Cochran-Smith / In 2002, voters in Massachusetts passed a referendum, commonly referred to as "Question 2," requiring that, "All children in Massachusetts public schools shall be taught English by being taught in English and all children shall be placed in English language classrooms" (M.G.L.c.71A§4). This dissertation investigates the system of education for secondary bilingual learners and their teachers resulting from the passage of Question 2 by examining assumptions and ideologies about race, culture, and language across policy and practice. Drawing on critical race theory (CRT) and the construct of majoritarian stories, two distinct and complimentary analyses were conducted: a critical policy analysis of state level laws, regulations, and policy tools, and a critically conscious longitudinal case study of one teacher candidate who was prepared to work with bilingual learners and then taught bilingual learners during her first three years of teaching. The critical policy analysis, conducted as a frame analysis, exposes that legally sanctioned racism and linguicism are institutionalized and codified through Massachusetts state policy. Additionally, Massachusetts state policy consistently and strongly promotes four common majoritarian stories regarding the education of secondary bilingual learners and their teachers: there is no story about race, difference is deficit, meritocracy is appropriate, and English is all that matters. The longitudinal case study demonstrates the power of these majoritarian stories in classroom practice and how they limit the opportunities of bilingual learners and their teachers while also perpetuating institutionalized racism and linguicism. Taken together, the two analyses that make up this dissertation reveal a problematic system deeply affected by majoritarian stories that obscure the role white privilege and white normativity play in perpetuating issues of inequity for secondary bilingual learners and teachers. This dissertation argues that in order to disrupt institutionalized racism and linguicism, these stories must be consistently, proactively, and powerfully challenged across all levels of policy and practice. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

The purpose of this study is to explore the different experiences and perceptions that second language learners in the Swedish upper secondary school have of the Swedish langague and swedish as a second language. The purpose is also to examine differences and relations between second language learners´ attitudes and some background factors that may influence their attitudes. The study is based on a survey containing two parts: the first concerning background factors of the respondents and the second part consisting of statements combined with a likert scale. The survey was given to students studying swedish as a second language in the upper secondary school. The most important result is that the student´s attitudes to swedish and swedish as a second language are affected by the number of years they have lived in Sweden.