Teachers’ Perceptions of Effective School-Wide Programs and Strategies for English Language Learners

• In Event: Teacher Perspectives on English Language Learners and Diverse Learners: Translations of Theory Into Classroom Practices

Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated that teachers remain unsure of their capacities for teaching English Learners (ELs), often even after they have had specific training in English Language Development (ELD). One particular omission in the previous research is the lack of measurement of teachers’ perception of their schools’ ELD strategies. The present study surveyed 578 K-6 public school teachers who rated the effectiveness of their school’s ELD instructional strategies as well as the success of their school’s program. Both were rated as highly effective. The Collective Efficacy scale (Goddard, 2002) and other surveys were also adminstered. Two ordinary least squares regression models indicate that efficacy for ELs is highly correlated to general school efficacy, regardless of the school’s SES.

Authors

• Kip T. Tellez, University of California - Santa Cruz

• George Manthey, University of California - Santa Cruz