English Language Learners Students Research Articles

Multilingualism and its role in identity construction: a study of English students’ perceptions

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore how university students of English as a foreign language perceive themselves as multilingual agents, how they practice their languages, and how this affects their identity. The study is based on Kramsch’s notion of third place (1993) which considers foreign language learning as an opportunity for the construction of interculturality, thus causing learners to redefine themselves as they hybridise their cultural identity. Data is gathered through an interview and a focus group discussion with 32 English language learning students at a public university in Morocco. The data is thematically analyzed and discussed. Findings indicate that multilingual learners think positively of multilingualism and avail themselves of their languages, using all of them but in different contexts. They also claim they experience identity shift, thus sustaining and developing multiple identities flexibly thanks to the languages they use. Such findings indicate that multilingual students are defining and redefining their cultural identities as modern, global, open and intercultural citizens under the impact of multilingualism. In light of the results obtained, some implications are discussed.

Japanese Students’ Emotional Lived Experiences in English Language Learning, Learner Identities, and Their Transformation

AbstractThe Vygotskian concept of perezhivanie, or emotional lived experience, was adopted to examine the learner identities of 2 Japanese university students in English language learning. Current studies on language learner identities have given analytic primacy to either psychological processes or social influences. In contrast, perezhivanie offers a holistic unit of analysis for examining simultaneous influences derived from internal and external realms on identity pursuits. Misaki and Hina participated in a 60‐minute interview designed to understand their English learning experiences and how they made sense of them in school and university settings. In addition, a series of class observations—each followed by an informal interview—were conducted to examine their learning experiences in a conversational English course. Their reflective postings on the course online blog were also collected. The analytical process located identifiable instances of perezhivanie (perezhivaniya), based on participants’ memorable events or personally significant moments, and elaborated how these perezhivaniya brought forth different learner identities. Using the concept of perezhivanie, this study draws attention to a dynamic perspective on researching language‐learner identities that foregrounds an identity‐making process whereby students relived, refracted, and transformed through emotional–cognitive events or episodes characterized by complex transactions between the person and context.

Collaborative Learning of International Undergraduate English Language Learners in Small-group Writing Communities

This article reports a study on how international English language learner (ELL) students participated in a collaborative learning community comprised of peers and peer tutors in a writing center in a U.S. university. Drawing on the theory of community of practice (CoP), qualitative data were collected from weekly observations of three groups and in-depth interviews with four ELL students and six tutors. Findings suggested that these three groups functioned differently as CoPs with varied levels of participation and social interaction among the students and between students and tutors. A mismatch between the goals and roles of the students and those of the tutors, and group dynamics among students and between students and tutors were discussed. Implications for practices and research to better support international ELL students were discussed.

Using a Tablet-Based Intervention to Increase Sight-Phrase Acquisition for an ELL Student

The process of learning to read is more difficult for English language learners (ELLs) because they are often learning a new language as they are trying to learn to read. Learning irregular/high-frequency words (sight words) may be especially challenging for ELL students. Limited research exists on the effects of interventions designed to help ELL students read phrases containing sight-words. This study used a multiple-probe design across sets of phrases to evaluate the effects of a tablet-based phrase intervention on an ELL student’s acquisition of phrases containing sight-words. Repeated measure graphs indicate an immediate increase in acquired phrases following intervention delivery with a steep increase in phrase acquisition. Additionally, the student was able to maintain gains after the intervention phase. The discussion emphasizes the delivery of the phrase intervention in the classroom setting.

Comparing Test‐Taking Behaviors of English Language Learners (ELLs) to Non‐ELL Students: Use of Response Time in Measurement Comparability Research

In this report, we demonstrate use of differential response time (DRT) methodology, an extension of differential item functioning methodology, for examining differences in how students from different backgrounds engage with assessment tasks. We analyze response time data from a digitally delivered mathematics assessment to examine timing differences between English language learner (ELL) and non‐ELL student groups. When matched on the total sum scores of the studied item form, results showed that ELLs spent a significantly longer time on most items compared to the non‐ELLs who performed similarly on the test form. When matched on the total response time, results showed that ELL students spent a significantly longer time on items in the first half of the form but a shorter time on items in the second half. This research demonstrates the usefulness of DRT methodology in gaining insights about the differential engagement of students with assessment tasks.

Creating School Scientific Communities Among Urban Refugee ELL Populations

Studies on English language learners (ELLs) and school science have been conducted from a range of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives, the findings of which have indicated growth in science achievement among ELLs when exposed to science inquiry. Yet studies are still needed to address the needs of specific groups within this large, and growing population. Children who are underserved in schools offering limited ELL support continue to be marginalized, and the gap for their future professional and higher education opportunities continues to grow when compared to their majority peers. Teachers often lack the experience, knowledge, and institutional support needed to address the complex educational needs of ELLs. The goal of this study was to examine aspects of multimodal science inquiry teaching strategies using technology with a specific group of students learning English as a new language. This paper describes a qualitative, autoethnographic, case study with three students from the Karen and Karenni cultures, coming to the United States from three different refugee camps in Thailand. Multiple data sources were collected throughout an year-long study, including videos of lessons, recorded focus groups, student artifacts, researcher field notes and reflections, and interviews with the classroom teachers. We coded data as emerging themes iteratively using HyperResearch qualitative research software. The study demonstrated how refugees ELL students developed their discourse skills and classroom engagements through the yearlong intervention designed to build trust between teacher and students by sharing responsibility for practice and learning, to involve inquiry-based science activities, and to value students’ communities and culture. The study was founded on the premise that students of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds can participate effectively in scientific inquiry.

The Effects of a Culturally Adapted Program on ELL Students’ Core SEL Competencies as Measured by a Modified Version of the BERS-2

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students face more complex social-emotional and socio-cultural challenges than their mainstream peers as part of their development and socialization in U.S. schools. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) has been found to be beneficial in the academic and social success of all students; however, limited research has been conducted on the effects of SEL interventions on CLD populations’ core SEL competencies. With the unique needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) in mind, this study analyzes existing intervention data to evaluate the effects of a culturally adapted SEL program on participants’ five core SEL competencies (i.e. relationship skills, self-awareness, responsible decision making, social awareness, and self-management). Results indicate that the intervention was effective at improving participants’ self-awareness and relationship skills. Implications for measuring each core SEL competency instead of global constructs such as resiliency for all populations, including CLD students, are discussed.

Silly Putty: Mobilization of the Known Across Technology-Enhanced Learning Spaces

In technology-enhanced classrooms, due to the affordances of technologies, English Language Learners (ELLs) are moving between learning spaces; boundaries are never clear. Questions arise with regards to how students’ non-sanctioned experiences might mediate classroom learning. Using a multiliteracies (New London Group, 2000) and learning by design (Cope & Kalantzis, 2015) theoretical lens, this ethnographic case study explores the technology-enhanced learning experiences of Grade 6 ELLs. Data including field observations, artifacts, and interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis (Saldaña, 2016). Findings of this study indicate that ELL students were engaged in learning experiences that encouraged them to mobilize their known (knowledge) across learning spaces.

Toward Equitable Assessment of English Language Learners in General Chemistry: Identifying Supportive Features in Assessment Items

Many students experience a language-related barrier which may keep them from fully understanding and engaging in complex chemistry content. Although dense and technically rich scientific language is challenging for most students to interpret, it can become a systematic barrier for English Language Learner (ELL) students when it cognitively interferes with their ability to demonstrate their content knowledge in a competitive, fast-paced, and mandatory science course. However, little is understood about how ELL undergraduates can be assessed in introductory science courses in a fair and equitable manner. The current study examined the potential of an equity-driven, empirical method (the Equitable Framework for Classroom Assessment; EFCA) for modifying assessment items to meet the needs of ELL students in general chemistry. Such an initiative is crucial for impartially assessing the chemical content knowledge of linguistically diverse students. We employed the guidelines of the EFCA to modify three assessment items (about the topics of limiting reactants and percent yield) in a way that reduces their linguistic complexity without watering down their content difficulty. We then presented ELL students with both the original and the modified versions of the items and asked them to comment─during semistructured, retrospective interviews─about the features that were supportive to their comprehension. The students identified multiple supportive features, including those related to the items’ macrostructure (visual appearance) and its readability. They also identified specific types of scaffolds and representations that supported their understanding, as well as their ability to think through and set up the solution to the problems.

Profiles of Emotional Disturbance Across the Five Characteristics of the Federal Definition

Ensuring the provision of a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to students qualified for services under the disability category of emotional disturbance (ED) has been both challenging and controversial. Examining this population in light of the five characteristics listed in the federal definition may provide useful insights to address needs and improve outcomes. The purpose of this study was to use latent class analysis to examine profiles across the five characteristics of the federal definition of ED for a sample of 491 students school-identified with ED. Key findings include that (a) students with ED are a heterogeneous group with distinct and qualitatively different subgroups; (b) latent classes representing the severe problems and the externalizing problems typologies tended to consist of younger students; (c) greater proportions of Black, Hispanic, and English-language learner students were found in the severe and externalizing latent classes; and (d) students in the externalizing and severe latent classes spent more time in special education classrooms and had worse ratings on social maladjustment. The findings highlight important implications for practice in regard to assessment, program differentiation, and preservice teacher training. Research limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

Differential Item Functioning Among English Language Learners on a Large-Scale Mathematics Assessment.

The current study research showed the nature and potential sources of the gaps in mathematics achievement between English language learners (ELLs) and non-English language learners (non-ELLs). The nature of achievement gap was examined using three DIF methodologies: including Mantel-Haenszel procedure, Rasch model, and Hierarchical Generalized Linear Model (HGLM). These were conducted at the item level in contrast to total test level. Results revealed that the three DIF approaches identified 10 common items. These 10 items demonstrated in favor of non-ELLs. Findings from this study will help educational researchers, administrators, and policymakers understand the nature of the achievement gap in mathematics at item level so that United States can be competitive in middle school mathematics education. This study also suggested that item writers and test developers should construct assessments where language is equally accessible for ELL students.

Anxiety in English Language Learning Among Thai Students

English language anxiety appears in some International students while learning in the country that use any language other than their native language. International students may get anxious while learning in another country. This research tries to answer two issues. The first one is the factors causing anxiety of Thai students in English language learning and the next one is the strategies of Thai students in coping their anxiety in English language learning. The data for this qualitative study were gathered from observation and semi-structured interview. The participants are two Thai students who took English Education Department in IAIN Salatiga. From the data, the researcher find that there are three factors causing anxiety of Thai students in English language learning namely communication apprehension, test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation. The researcher also find that there are two strategies of Thai students in coping the anxiety in reading class. They are preparation and peer seeking. The results of this study are hopefully can be beneficial to English teacher and students. Not only for domestic students, but also International students.

Challenges and possibilities in English language learning of rural lower-class Chinese college students: the effect of capital, habitus, and fields

ABSTRACT Given the widened access to Chinese higher education, a large proportion of students studying at Chinese colleges come from rural lower-class families and encounter different challenges in English language learning. By using Bourdieu’s social theoretical lenses, this case study explores how the interplay of capital, habitus and social fields affected ten rural lower-class college students’ English language learning. This study finds that these students inhabited difficult and inferior positions because they lacked different forms of capital needed for accessing language and cultural learning resources, solidifying their English language foundation, and developing intercultural understanding and competence. Their narrow, test-oriented focus, and the lack of confidence and initiative in English language learning stemmed from their habitus formed in their situated socio-cultural and educational fields. Through reflecting on these complexities and conditions in English language learning, teachers and rural lower-class college students may move from a deficit lens in terms of their knowledge foundation and learning styles, which leads to the lack of confidence in teaching and learning; instead, they might collaboratively explore appropriate strategies and resources that cultivate students’ comprehensive English language competence and intercultural competence.

College Ready or Not?

In recent years, there has been a greater emphasis on ensuring that high schools across the United States focus on college readiness standards and skills, with the goal that more students will persist and find greater success in college. Despite this focus, there are still significant gaps among the students who are deemed “ready” and are actually persisting and finding that success, specifically for English language learners (ELLs). In this article, we illustrate the landscape of ELLs enrolled in institutions of higher education. We then explore how ELL students are classified and how these different profiles intersect with the limited range and types of English as a Second Language (ESL) support available at the institutional level. Finally, we contribute to the very limited practical knowledge base on ELLs in the college setting, with a summary of promising best practices for college faculty across disciplines to consider in their instruction.

Exploring the Use of Learner-Centered Instruction with English Language Learners in Social Studies Classrooms

Despite English Language Learner (ELL) supplemental instruction on Saturdays and evenings and professional development for teachers, learner-centered instructional strategies in social studies are currently ineffective in meeting the learning needs of the ELL population in an urban school in the northeastern United States. The instructional approaches being used to deliver curriculum have a marginal effect on learning for ELL students, and the local school board supports the importance of exploring this problem. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore the learner-centered instructional practices used at the study site and how teachers are using Weimer’s framework to engage ELLs in social studies. Guided by Weimer’s learner-centered instruction theory, the research questions focused on exploring how teachers use Weimer’s learner-centered instructional strategies and how teachers plan their instruction for ELLs and social studies using Weimer’s framework. As a case study, this qualitative research involved gathering data during 1 academic year through observations and interviews of 10 teacher participants. Research data collected through observations and interviews were coded into an Excel document to assign and filter codes. A 3-day professional development opportunity and monthly follow-up sessions were the results of the analysis of data collected from interviews and classroom observations of 10 ELL social studies teachers in Grades 9-12. The results of this study may lead to positive social change if social studies teachers modify their learner-centered instructional approaches to increase students’ motivation and satisfaction in learning.

The Information Search Process of English Language Learner (ELL) Students in a Guided Inquiry Project

This study seeks to understand the information-to-knowledge experience of English Language Learner (ELL) students in a Guided Inquiry project undertaken by the librarian and subject teachers. As a pilot study, it provides an in-depth examination of two Korean 11th grade students in a biology class of a high school in New Jersey, U.S. During the project, data were collected through questionnaire, surveys, search journals, search sessions, observation, students’ papers, and interviews. The findings of this study will facilitate the understanding on the information seeking and knowledge construction process of ELL students so that school environments, including school libraries, can provide meaningful instructional and service interventions for them.

A Latent Class IRT Approach to Defining and Measuring Language Proficiency

English language learner (EL) status has high stakes implications for determining when and how ELs should be evaluated for academic achievement. In the US, students designated as English learners are assessed annually for English language proficiency (ELP), a complex construct whose conceptualization has evolved in recent years to reflect more precisely the language demands of content area achievement as reflected in the standards of individual states and state language assessment consortia, such as WIDA and ELPA21. The goal of this paper was to examine the possible role for and utility of using content area assessments to validate language proficiency mastery criteria. Specifically, we applied mixture item response models to identify two classes of EL students: (1) ELs for whom English language arts and math achievement test items have similar difficulty and discrimination parameters as they do for non-ELs and (2) ELs for whom the test items function differently. We used latent class IRT methods to identify the two groups of ELs and to evaluate the effects of different subscales of ELP (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) on group membership. Only reading and writing were significant predictors of class membership. Cut-scores based on summary scores of ELP were imperfect predictors of class membership and indicated the need for finer differentiation within the top proficiency category. This study demonstrates the importance of linking definitions of ELP to the context for which ELP is used and suggests the possible value of psychometric analyses when language proficiency standards are linked to the language requirements for content area achievement.

Measuring English Language Self-Efficacy: Psychometric Properties and Use

This article provides an overview of existing instruments measuring self-efficacy for English language learning in both first and second language acquisition fields and their reliability and validity evidence. It also describes the development and use of the Questionnaire of English Language Self-Efficacy (QESE) scale, designed specifically for English language learners (ELLs), and presents an overview of the research findings from empirical studies related to its psychometric properties. A growing body of literature has begun to document encouraging evidence of ELL students’ self-efficacy belief measures and the utility of the QESE in particular. The information pertaining to the QESE is quite encouraging from measurement perspectives and fills the gap in the literature by providing a reliable and valid instrument to measure ELLs’ self-efficacy in various cultures. This paper concludes with evidence for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, structural, generalizability, and external aspects of the construct validity of the QESE. This paper contributes to the growing interest in these skills by reviewing the measures of self-efficacy in the field of second-language acquisition and the findings of empirical research on the development and use of a self-efficacy scale for ELLs.

Finding Talent Among Elementary English Learners: A Validity Study of the HOPE Teacher Rating Scale

The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of the HOPE Scale for identifying gifted English language learners (ELs) and how classroom and English as a second language (ESL) teacher HOPE Scale scores differ. Seventy teachers completed the HOPE Scale on 1,467 students in grades K-5 and four ESL teachers completed the scale on 131 ELs. Measurement invariance tests indicated that the HOPE Scale yields noninvariant latent means across EL and English proficient (EP) samples. However, confirmatory factor analysis results support the use of the scale with ELs or EP students separately. Results also indicate that the rating patterns of classroom and ESL teachers were different and that the HOPE Scale does not yield valid data when used by ESL teachers. Caution is recommended when using the HOPE Scale and other teacher rating scales to compare ELs to EP students. The importance of invariance testing before using an instrument with a population that is different from the one(s) for which the instrument was developed is discussed.

¡Somos Nosotros! Lived Experiences of Latinx ELL Youth Enrolled in Secondary Agricultural Education

This study examines the inherent relationship Latinx English-Language Learners students have with their agriculture teacher and the overall agricultural education program at four rural high schools. It is based upon a series of 11 focus group interviews with two U.S. born and 27 immigrant students from Central America and Mexico, all of whom were in at least their second year of enrollment in secondary agricultural education. The study also includes direct observations of classrooms and peer interactions. Four themes emerged that reflect White students creating an unaccepting dynamic, ignorance toward the Latinx students passion for agriculture, high respect toward the agriculture teacher and a program culture that is currently not relatable to Latinx youth. Recommendations for pedagogical approaches that encourage English comprehension should be implemented into the agricultural education programs along with bold initiatives that gives voice for Latinx students throughout the program, specifically the FFA organization. Additional research that further replicates this study is necessary as well as an understanding of teacher’s current knowledge and skills for teaching Latinx ELL youth.