Investigating Bilingual/ESL Teachers' Knowledge and Professional Development Opportunities in a Large Suburban School District in Texas

Despite the fact that the population of English Language Learners (ELLs) is rapidly increasing, there is ample evidence that indicates that most teachers can benefit from training for teaching ELLs effectively. The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' knowledge of instructional practic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bilingual research journal 2015-09, Vol.38 (3), p.336-352
Main Authors: Franco-Fuenmayor, Susana E., Padrón, Yolanda N., Waxman, Hersh C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bilingual education
Bilingual Teachers
Educational Practices
Educational Strategies
Elementary School Teachers
English (Second Language)
English as a second language
English as a second language instruction
English language learners
English teachers
Factor Analysis
Knowledge
Knowledge Level
Language Acquisition
Language Teachers
Likert Scales
Multivariate Analysis
Professional Development
Questionnaires
School Districts
Second language teachers
Suburban Schools
Teacher education
Teachers
Teaching Methods
Texas
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Summary:Despite the fact that the population of English Language Learners (ELLs) is rapidly increasing, there is ample evidence that indicates that most teachers can benefit from training for teaching ELLs effectively. The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' knowledge of instructional practices for ELLs, research on bilingual programs, research-based instructional strategies, and knowledge related to second-language development among 225 bilingual/English as Second Language (ESL) teachers in a large suburban school district in Texas. Additionally, because professional development (PD) plays a key role in teachers' knowledge, this study considers the PD opportunities provided to teachers of ELLs. Findings indicated that many teachers of ELLs are not receiving adequate training, particularly in areas related to bilingual education and knowledge related to second-language development, and that bilingual teachers are more knowledgeable than ESL teachers in terms of bilingual programs and knowledge related to second-language development. These findings have important implications for teacher PD.
ISSN:1523-5882
1523-5890
DOI:10.1080/15235882.2015.1091049