Pre-and in-service teacher attitudes related to English Learner instruction in the content-areas: A mixed-methods study

Abstract

In this mixed methods research, we analyzed the extent to which pre- and in-service teachers' attitudes towards linguistic diversity predicted their attitudes towards English Learner (EL) content-area instruction in the United States. We also analyzed participants' open-ended responses regarding their attitudes towards EL content-area instruction. 195 pre-service (N = 136) and in-service (N = 59) teachers enrolled in university coursework participated. Multiple regression models indicated attitudes towards linguistic diversity was a significant and large contributor to participants’ attitudes towards EL content-area instruction. Qualitative analysis revealed pre-and in-service teachers differed in attitudes towards working with English Learners (ELs) in the content-areas.