Experience, Training, and Perspectives of Speech-Language Pathologists Serving African American English-Speaking Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 39
  In Roundtable Session: Black Education in a Multicultural Context

Abstract

With increasing diversity in the U.S., classroom teachers are faced with an increasing number of students from linguistically diverse populations. Though services for bilingual learners are readily available, minimal supports exist for students who speak a nonstandard dialect of English upon their arrival in school. This quantitative study analyzes data from a national survey of school based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in order to investigate the effect of training and school setting on SLPs’ knowledge/awareness and opinions/attitudes about African-American English (AAE). Results reveal a significant relationship between the level of training received and SLPs’ opinions/attitudes of AAE. This relationship underscores the need for increased training of SLPs and other educational professionals.

Author

• Dionna Latimer-Hearn, Care Resources