Latina Preschool Teachers' Experiences of Professional Learning for Supporting Dual Language Learners: Implications on Quality

• In Event: Equity at the Center: The Imperative to Reconceptualize Early Care and Education "Quality"

Abstract

The growth and need for supports for young Spanish-speaking dual language learners (DLLs) has been well-documented (Park et al., 2018). This growth has also motivated the study of ECE classroom practices that can best support DLLs to mediate opportunity gaps. Some of this work centers on language(s) of instruction, finding that use of a HL supports HL and English acquisition as well as academic skills needed for later learning (e.g. Raikes, et al., 2019; Barnett, et al., 2007). Other work focuses on the linguistic interactions used by teachers with DLLs (e.g. Farrow, et al., 2020) and on professional learning (PL) designed to improve supports for DLLs (e.g. Castro et al., 2017).
This research begins to illuminate effective practices for DLLs including the need for use of the HL to support English language development and specific strategies to support English acquisition. However, it has also excluded critical elements of an equity-based approach including use of culturally responsive PL and culturally sensitive measurement tools for both children and classrooms. Additionally, little work has focused on how to facilitate professionalization of Latina educators, who have enormous potential in best serving young DLLs because of both their established presence in the field (Whitebook, et al., 2018; Guzman et al., 2018) and the assets they bring via their shared language, culture, and lived experiences. Finally, practitioner perspectives on study interventions and outcomes are unknown. For example, in one recent study, researchers explored contributions of teachers’ syntax to preschoolers’ and kindergartners’ vocabulary learning finding that Hispanic/Latino and Asian teachers used more complex syntax with their children than did white teachers (Farrow, et al., 2020). Researchers hypothesized about the causes, drawing from previous research, however, no specific research exists to explain this finding.
This paper will examine the ways in which Latina teachers express needs for PL and how a measure (the Classroom Assessment of Supports for Emergent Bilingual Acquisition; CASEBA, Freedson et al. 2009) aiming to understand classroom practice can provide the evidence needed to further support teachers by providing relevant data. Preliminary findings of mini-focus groups, indicate that Latina teachers are largely not agentic in selection of topics, that PL is not individualized, and that inclusion of teachers’ own cultures and languages in their teaching are facets of their own intuition and not because of coaching or PL experiences. Ultimately, this paper seeks to both acknowledge the assets that Latina teachers bring and how they can contribute to deeper understanding of needs to professionalize the workforce. While this has been examined to some extent, more is needed to further provide guidance on PL models and policies that frame systems thinking relative to implementing effective DLL supports.

Author

• Alexandra Figueras-Daniel, National Institute for Early Education Research
  Presenting Author