Policy and the Practice of Power: The Impact of Language Policy Implementation Among Adolescent English Language Learners

• In Event: Roundtable Session 124
  In Roundtable Session: The Impact of a Restrictive Language Policy on the Education of English Language Learners

Abstract

Purpose & Theoretical Framework

Arizona’s implementation of the new language model places all students identified as
English Language Learners (ELLs) in a mandatory four-hour Structured English Immersion (SEI) block. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand how this mandated four-hour SEI block has been implemented in junior high classrooms. Specific research questions address (a) the ways in which language policies impact instruction for adolescent ELLs in the four-hour SEI block, (b) how teachers of the junior high four-hour SEI block are supporting ELLs in learning English, and (c) the literacy practices present in the classroom. This approach also provides opportunities for understanding local meanings and practices of the participant teachers involved.
The theoretical framework used for this study incorporates a sociocultural view of literacy, second language acquisition (SLA), and policy as practice of power. This framework addresses the “cultural, contextual, and political dimensions of educational policy” (Levinson & Sutton, 2000). It is also important to include theories of SLA to appropriately address the needs of ELLs.

Methods

This study incorporated interviews of three junior high teachers and 76 hours of rigorous observation in the classroom. Artifacts from the classroom that incorporate teacher lesson plans, student work, and data available by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) were included. Ethnographic observation methods were utilized in this descriptive study in order to document the instructional implementation and literacy practices within a junior high SEI classroom. Elements of Erickson’s Analytic Induction Method (1986) were used in data analysis. This approach was most fitting for this project due to the research purpose directed at understanding the social phenomenon of the four-hour SEI block within middle school. Analytic induction (1986) generated a set of empirical assertions with evidentiary warrant that were all with the goal of rendering an interpretation of language policy instructional implementation.

Results & Significance

Preliminary results for this study show that the implementation from this model varies dramatically between three teacher participants, which provides a reflection of the diverse approaches to implementation of the model across the state of Arizona. Results also include the areas of inadequacy and limited support for junior high students. This leads to the conclusion that the four-hour SEI block is not adequately supporting the needs and literacy development of adolescent ELLs.
With this focus placed on secondary ELLs, it becomes apparent over time that many political agendas have changed the face and goals of ELL programs. In Arizona, it has become an obligation to examine the education of ELLs due to the reality that English-Only movements have dramatically transformed the approach and instructional philosophy, which critically impact the academic literacy success of adolescent ELLs. Due to the lack of in-depth accounts with teachers of ELLs under the new model, especially with a focus on literacy practices, this research provides a significant contribution to the literature on teaching language to adolescent ELLs.

Author

• Alexandria Estrella, Arizona State University