Linguistically Diverse Students and Special Education: A Mixed-Methods Study of Teachers’ Attitudes, Coursework, and Practices

• In Event: Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Roundtable in Mixed-Methods Research

Abstract

Using a sequential explanatory research design, this study examined the language attitudes and coursework histories of 69 inservice teachers. A subsample of nine teachers responded to a dilemma about a linguistically diverse student. Quantitative analyses revealed that teachers who completed language coursework reported strong positive language attitudes, compared to teachers without this coursework. Qualitative analyses, however, demonstrated a range of teachers’ desirable practices. Collective analyses of data indicated that teachers’ positive language attitudes are predictive of desirable practices. The interactions between teachers’ reported knowledge, attitudes, and practice in two domains – language and special education – inform teachers’ professional practice. Findings suggest that teachers’ actual professional practice is inextricably linked to and contextualized in classroom, school, and/or district structures.

Author

• Renee Greenfield, University of Hartford