Efficacy of the Bridging English Language Learning and Academics Professional Development: Lessons Learned During COVID

• In Event: Rigorous Research in the Time of COVID: Lessons for Rethinking Educational Research

Abstract

Objective. We address how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our randomized control trial of Bridging English Language Learning and Academics (BELLA) professional development (PD) and the modifications we made to our study to answer alternate research questions and to support teachers and students. We will focus on lessons learned for future educational research, as well for supporting teachers and their multilingual learners during challenging times.

Perspectives & Methods: Project Description. The goal of our study is to test the efficacy of the BELLA PD for improving teacher and student outcomes. BELLA PD focuses on collaboration between English as a Second Language (ESL) and classroom teachers, implementation of high-impact literacy instructional strategies, and incorporation of the students’ cultural wealth into classrooms to support multilingual learners’ language and literacy skills. In spring 2020, we were in the second year of a planned four-year RCT in schools working with teaching teams of kindergarten, first grade, and ESL teachers.

Results: COVID-Related Changes. During AY 20-21 we paused our RCT and pivoted to engaging in related research with the teachers in the intervention group for a second year, albeit under challenging conditions for teachers and students. Our research questions shifted to focus on implementation support and sustainability of the intervention.

In AY 21-22, despite having successfully recruited schools to resume our RCT, the delta wave of COVID limited our ability to offer in-person PD and conduct classroom observations. We suspended our RCT and focused on developing additional supports for teachers to fully integrate our PD program into classroom instruction and sustain implementation beyond the training year based on what we learned.

Significance: Lessons Learned. First, we learned that adapting to the situation required us to reconsider our research questions while still considering the efficacy study aims, and how we could support teachers, students, and schools. By continuing to work with teachers into a second year after their engagement in our PD in our implementation study, we learned about the sustainability of our approach, about how teachers continued to co-plan and modify their instruction for multilingual learners, and the importance of providing pathways for other teachers to learn about the approach.

Second, we learned that it was possible to offer implementation coaching and ongoing PD to teachers in a virtual format. Going forward, we see that online and hybrid PD has significant potential to support teachers, if high-quality engagement and application opportunities are included along with school-based support.

Third, the pandemic highlighted serious inequities in access to educational resources such as Wi-Fi and computers, and the need for partnerships between teachers, families, and/or other caregivers. The extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic sharpened the focus on both the challenges and strengths and resourcefulness of families, students, and teachers.

By responding to the conditions imposed by the pandemic, we were able to modify our research questions, methods, and approaches and learn from working alongside teachers during this extraordinary time in education. In this session, we will share additional information and findings from our modified research questions.

Authors

• Leslie M. Babinski, Duke University
  Presenting Author

• Steven J. Amendum, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author

• Steven Knotek, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
  Non-Presenting Author