Measuring Teachers' Beliefs Regarding Multilingualism in School

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding Teacher Beliefs, Evaluation, and Student Learning

Abstract

This study extends the work of developing and translating a survey measuring teachers’ beliefs regarding multilingualism in school. N = 720 teachers that were part of an online professional development program responded twice (pre-post) to this questionnaire instrument. Using this data, a benchmark setting procedure was done by an expert panel. The benchmarks for this instrument represent three levels: emerging, developing, and enacting and illustrate the expertise that should shift from one level to the next as teachers grow in their understandings and beliefs about multilingualism in school. This study provides important data analysis tools for those using the instrument to both measure as well as support positive teacher beliefs about multilingualism in school.

Authors

• Svenja Hammer, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Kara Mitchell Viesca, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Timo Ehmke, Leuphana University - Lüneburg

• Brandon Heinz, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Qizhen Deng, Boise State University