Mediating Factors in ELL Academic Reading: High School Students' Classroom Experiences

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:20 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding the Complexity of Multilingual Learner Education: From Reading to Assessment (Table 12)

Abstract

Using multiple qualitative case study methods incorporating ethnographic observations, interviews, artifact collection, and the think-aloud method from cultural perspectives, this study examines the academic reading practices and experiences of high school ELL students in classroom contexts. Findings reveal: 1) the types of reading instruction and texts to which students are exposed in different content-area classrooms, 2) individual differences among ELLs in how academic reading is perceived and practiced, and 3) contextual factors that mediate students’ reading proficiency or difficulty. This study builds a knowledge base on a population that has been “overlooked and underserved” in both research and practice, providing insights into developing appropriate instructional responses to meet the needs of adolescent ELLs from a sociocultural framework.

Author

• Hyun Kyung Kim, Case Western Reserve University