Critical consciousness development for teachers of multilingual learners: A cultural/linguistic immersion program shaping early teaching careers

Abstract

This study offers a long-term developmental pathway view of three early career K-12 teachers who participated in a practical TESOL preparation-based language/cultural immersion program abroad. Research continued across 5-years from pre-service through early career years, enabling the researchers to illustrate the curricular and extra-curricular developmental pathways implicated in development of sociopolitical and pedagogical dispositions and skills required to work in a culturally/linguistically sustaining manner alongside multilingual learners. The inquiry identifies the relevance of findings for the broader U.S. teacher education context and beyond with added emphasis on immersion-abroad teacher preparation programs and experiences for teachers of multilingual learners.