Multicultural ELL Educators’ Perspectives of Sociocultural Dynamics In the Adolescent Classroom

Abstract

To explore middle and high school English Language Learners (ELL) teaching environments from the perspective of multicultural instructors and their understanding of ELL students’ reality. This qualitative study utilized participant observation and Developmental Research Sequence (Spradley, 1980) as the systematic approach to gather and to analyze data. The study was conducted in an inner city public school district in the south of Louisiana where seven multicultural ELL specialists were located; participants included were originally from the United States, Latvia, the Philippines, Jordan, Romania, and Japan. This study shed light over the fate of most Latina/o teenagers in public middle and high schools, the appropriateness of the state’s response to the literacy and human needs of all students at risk of failure in the middle and high school (Latina/o and African American alike), and the status educators have in the country compared to other highly qualified professionals as perceived by the multicultural educators participating in the study. Several areas of intervention were identified and described including a strong structured program specifically designed for ELLs attending middle and high school; moreover, further research is needed to advance understanding about the relationship among literacy, shame, and students’ behavior.

Citation

Luque, N.L., Cheek, E.H. and Ortlieb, E. (2017), "Multicultural ELL Educators’ Perspectives of Sociocultural Dynamics In the Adolescent Classroom", Ortlieb, E. and Cheek, E.H. (Ed.) Addressing Diversity in Literacy Instruction (Literacy Research, Practice and Evaluation, Vol. 8), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 55-72. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2048-045820170000008004