Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Performance Competence in Leveraging Visual Literacy to Support Multilingual Students in STEM

• In Event: Serving Multilingual Students in the STEM Content Areas

Abstract

This study examines the impact of the visual literacy focused learning experience on pre-service teachers’ performance competence to support multilingual students in STEM. The participants were 97 elementary and middle school pre-service teachers at a non-profit university. They interacted with visual literacy focused learning materials in the methods courses. A mixed method was used to collect data from pre- and post-surveys, focus group interviews, and lesson plans and reflection artifacts. Results showed a significant change in the participants’ attitudes and level of comfort to use visual primary sources for supporting multilingual students in STEM learning. Further, the lesson plans demonstrated strong evidence of participants implementing culturally relevant primary sources and adapted visual literacy strategies to meet multilingual students’ needs.

Authors

• Xiaoning Chen, National Louis University
  Presenting Author

• Vishodana Thamotharan, National Louis University
  Presenting Author

• Eun Kyung Ko, National Louis University
  Presenting Author

• Xue Han, National Louis University
  Presenting Author