The demographics of the United States are rapidly changing, resulting in an
increasingly diverse student population. Public school personnel must contend with the
fact that a large number of students have limited English proficiency. These students
deserve a quality education, yet often face impediments within the school system that
hinder their academic progress. One means of helping English language learners is to
offer bilingual or English as Second Language (ESL) instruction. Indeed, the demand
for bilingual/ESL teachers is greater than the current supply. Teacher preparation
programs have recognized this fact and have taken actions to increase the number of
students attaining bilingual/ESL degrees and/or certifications.
This study examines what strategies institutions of higher education in Texas are
utilizing to recruit and retain bilingual/ESL teacher candidates. It also considers to what
extent these institutions are effectively preparing their students to face linguistic issues
in their future classrooms. Finally, the study describes the institutions of higher
education in Texas that attract the highest number of bilingual/ESL teacher candidates
and identifies the key factors in their successful efforts.
The researcher used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to
address the research questions. Data was generated via an electronically mailed
questionnaire, sent to forty Deans or administrators of teacher preparation programs in
Texas that offer bilingual and/or ESL education; thirty five of them responded.
Descriptive statistic methods, including frequency counts, percentages, crosstabulation,
and logistic regression, were used to analyzed the data. Information obtained from openended
questions was checked for the recurrence of common themes. Five administrators
at high enrollment institutions participated in follow-up interviews in order to provide
more in-depth information.
Findings from the study indicated that institutional commitment and funding levels
were associated with high enrollments and with higher student scores on state-mandated
bilingual and ESL certification exams. Recommendations include: making the programs
a priority, expanding recruitment efforts, expanded advertising of programs and
establishing university/public school liaisons. Bilingual/ESL student organizations,
offering scholarships and financial advising, and establishing student/faculty mentoring
programs should be used to assist teacher candidates during their academic careers so
that they will be effective teachers when they graduate.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/3054 |
| Date | 12 April 2006 |
| Creators | Diaz, Zulmaris |
| Contributors | Lara-Alecio, Rafael |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | 890929 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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