Let's Give Them Something to Talk About: English Learners' Participation and Academic Language Use in Science and Social Studies

• In Event: 14.043 - Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: 14.043-16 - Exploring Classroom Discourse, Vocabulary, and Academic Language Use in Second Language Learning

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the nature of English Learner (EL) participation and academic language use during mainstream middle school content area instruction. We observed three separate classes where students were participating in heterogeneous student-led cooperative groups using Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) during science and social studies classes. We applied discourse analysis techniques to analyze video and audio-recorded student and teacher talk. Our findings suggest that when teachers provided content, collaboration, and academic language support through their feedback and interactions with students, ELs participated equally in small group discussions as compared to native English speakers; ELs participated in high levels of discussion and utilized the same variety of academic language as native English speakers.

Authors

• Amy Eppolito, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Alison Gould Boardman, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Cristin Jensen Lasser, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Chao Wang, University of Colorado