Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / One in five children in schools today are from immigrant families and speak a
language other than English. Research reveals many teachers in urban schools feel
inadequately prepared to meet the unique needs of these students. Teachers lack research-
based knowledge about culturally relevant teaching and differentiated instructional
strategies that benefit all learners. They do not understand issues such as ethnicity,
poverty, racism, cultural and linguistic identities, and immigration. Few studies have
described the nature of the learning experiences of English Language Learners (ELLs)
and immigrants in urban high schools.
Using identity, sociocultural, and self-efficacy conceptual frameworks (relevant
immigrant pedagogy), this qualitative case study focused on classroom interactions and
instructional efforts of two teachers in an English 10 class in an urban high school. The
researcher observed class activities, took field notes, interviewed teachers and students,
collected instructional planning documents, and photographed student artifacts and
interactions. One teacher in the classroom had an English as a Second Language (ESL)
certification and extensive professional development to increase her competency as a
teacher of immigrants. The other teacher had English Language Arts certification.
Findings indicated that relevant immigrant pedagogy was an expansive
instructional framework which transformed ELLs and immigrants to grow in their
construction of self and identity, self-efficacy, sociocultural consciousness, and
academic rigor within a period of five months despite the prescriptive curriculum from
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the district in a restricted environment. The urban teachers displayed skills, zeal, and
commitment to building a community of learners of all ability levels in class and bridged
the gaps between immigrants and non-immigrants. All students grew together in their
learning and socio emotional experiences and became advocates and helpers for one
another, not competitors. The conclusions suggest that it is possible to improve the
educational programs for immigrant students and English Language Learners through
well-developed research-based instruction, and proposes a model for effective urban
teacher education.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:IUPUI/oai:scholarworks.iupui.edu:1805/11270 |
| Date | 11 July 2016 |
| Creators | Adams, Benedict Lazarus |
| Contributors | Berghoff, Beth, Seybold, Joy, Keller, Melissa, Scribner, Samantha M. Paredes |
| Source Sets | Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
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