This study aimed to investigate the influences that impact in-service teachers of ELLs professional development decisions. In this dissertation, I followed the work of four in-service ELL teachers in two different school districts to determine the nature of the various institutional systems within which their work occurred and the impact these systems had on the teachers continued learning. In blending sociocultural theory and an ecological perspective, I was able to view the interactions teachers had with their peers and larger systems of activity (i.e., the school district, the school-site, the classroom, and the legislative arena) as mediating factors in the decisions the ELL teacher made in their professional development. Through interviews, classroom observation, and document and artifact collection, I uncovered the ways in which these systems linked to exert influence on the participating teachers. I found that these teachers engaged in a wide variety of professional development activities, that they responded to various institutional influences, and that they translated what they learned into classroom practice. Further, this study suggests that the linkages that exist between the various systems in which teachers participate determine the professional development ELL teachers choose, as these linkages define the roles and responsibilities ELL teachers take up in their schools and districts. In sum, this study highlights the impact the specific contexts within which teachers work have on the professional development choices ELL teachers make.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-03302012-133816 |
| Date | 16 April 2012 |
| Creators | Rose, Brian C. |
| Contributors | H. Richard Milner, Victoria J. Risko, Ana Christina DaSilva Iddings, Virginia M. Scott, Robert T. Jimenez |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-03302012-133816/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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