Reaching All Individuals and Communities to Establish Success in Language Learning

• In Event: NPD Grant-Project Based Research: Constructing a New Vision for Effective MLL Teacher Education

Abstract

The Reaching All Individuals and Communities to Establish Success in Language Learning or RAICES OELA NPD Grant creates a unique experience for in-/pre-service teachers, educator preparation faculty, and parents/caregivers of students who are multilingual language learners (MLL) to come together during four, day-long gatherings that provide both individualized and community-wide sessions that bring together the diverse needs/interests of each participant group in universal celebration of Latino(x) culture and development in early language and literacy skills.
Three research goals for the RAICES grant are: (1) investigate the impact of the grant on the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and qualifications of participants in delivering effective and equitable instruction to students classified as English Learners/Multilingual Language Learners, while also fostering engagement between families, schools, and the wider community; (2) explore how participants perceive their learning after participating in the grant; and (3) investigate the outcomes of the research as a way to inform the implementation of the grant and improve its effectiveness. The four participant groups experience the PD in unique ways, so the research design is a qualitative phenomenological approach with artifacts collected to capture how each of those participant groups experience the phenomena of engaging in the PD.
Before and after the professional development experience, each participant group is given a pre and post survey to complete to capture some of their perceptions of their skills with EB students and to determine if the PD is helping to impact the skills and knowledge of the participants developing research-based literacy skills and pedagogy for EB students. We have completed two years of our grant and also two years of data analysis, and while this is only based on two years of data, here are some of the key preliminary themes. It is important to note that this is only a small piece of the data analysis. This is descriptive statistics only, the broader qualitative research analysis will not be completed until the completion of year four of the grant.
In year one, notable findings included that our parents came into the professional development already confident in their ability to provide their EB children with the tools and resources they needed to make sure their children were prepared for school and also in their literacy skills within their homes. This fits well with our asset-based approach to EB parents and students, the PD is designed to build on parent skills and these responses definitely support that approach. The preservice and in-service teachers that attend over a period of two years reported that after they participated in the PD they felt better trained to provide equitable and effective instruction to EB students. These two groups of participants also came into the PD with high levels of respect for EB students, their parents, and also the skill of being a multilingual learner. Through this preliminary analysis, our research findings appear to be suggesting that our first two years of PD have been effective particularly for our pre-service and in-service teachers.

Authors

• Chrissy J Cross, Stephen F. Austin State University

• Heather K. Olson Beal, Stephen F. Austin State University

• Marisol Diaz, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona