Teachers’ Perceptions of Challenges for English Learners in Post-Pandemic Education

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Teachers' Perceptions and Beliefs for Working With English Learners: Research Across Educational Settings (Table 12)

Abstract

Survey research (N=108) investigated teachers’ perceptions of the challenges facing educators as they work to ameliorate research-documented learning losses among English language learners (ELLs) in the wake the pandemic. Teachers judged curriculum factors (e.g., quality of curriculum) and teacher/administrator factors (e.g., teachers’ skills in working with ELLs) as more challenging than student factors (e.g., motivation) or home/family factors (e.g., financial issues). Individual factors rated as most challenging were students’ immigration status, administrators’ support for pandemic recovery for ELLs, teachers’ skills in working with ELLs, cultural relevance of curriculum used with ELLs, and students’ skills in the home language. These factors might well serve as the centerpiece of pandemic-recovery initiatives for ELLs, and for professional-development programs designed to optimize these initiatives.

Authors

• Audrey Figueroa Murphy, St. John's University

• Bruce A. Torff, Hofstra University