This qualitative study investigated the lived experiences of administrators, teachers, and parents from an elementary school that was in its first year of dual language transition. The majority of past studies conducted on dual language education focused on students' linguistic and academic outcomes (Lindholm-Leary, 2012). Studies investigating dual language schools' planning, policies, and classroom implementation are significantly less, and those that have, were at schools that were already functioning as dual language with the intent to examine what made the school successful (Alanis & Rodriguez, 2008; Freeman, 1996; Hunt, 2011). Through a phenomenological and case study approach, the current study examined the overall effect that transitioning from a monolingual to a dual language school had on the school culture with foci placed on the curricular and policy planning at the macro-level and its implementation at the micro-level. The study collected data from a variety of sources, including classroom observations, documents, photographs, and interviews with the school's principal, dual language teachers, and parents of the dual language program. Qualitative coding cycles concluded the following four themes, listed alphabetically: (a) classroom language use and second language differentiation, (b) dual language support, (c) language policy and curriculum development, and (d) teachers' dispositions on dual language teaching. This study highlighted the importance of inclusive leadership when planning a new dual language program. Additionally, the study shed light on the implementation process of the planned dual language program in which teachers need flexibility to adjust the language and curricular policies that were established at the macro-level.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-6984 |
| Date | 01 January 2018 |
| Creators | Davies, Alex |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
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