Exploring Teacher Agency in Pre-K–12 ESL and Bilingual Classrooms After No Child Left Behind: A Systematic Thematic Synthesis

• In Event: Transforming and Investigating Teacher Education Policy in Diverse Contexts

Abstract

We compiled 24 empirical studies and conducted a thematic synthesis to examine how various factors could impact pre- and in-service teachers’ agency in English as Second Language (ESL) and bilingual PreK-12 classrooms after the passage of NCLB in the U.S. We adopted the ecological model of teacher agency as the analytical framework to guide our synthesis. Through a rigorous coding process, we expanded the existing ecological model by adding two factors: knowledge and emotions. Detailed analyses led to seven common factors that could shape teachers’ agentic power in working with English Language Learners (ELLs), with cultural and structural factors drawing most research attention. We provided implications on how to strengthen teacher education and further examine teacher agency in future research.

Authors

• Yao Fu, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
  Presenting Author

• Zhenjie Weng, Duke Kunshan University
  Presenting Author