In 2023, immigrants and their United States born offspring accounted for approximately 90.8 million individuals (27%) of the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population (Batalova, 2024). Compared to 2010, this is a rise of about 14.7 million (20%). As the global population becomes more diverse, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) face the…

This case study explored Spanish-speaking educators' perceptions and experiences of dual-language immersion (DLI) professional learning (PL). The study aimed to understand how PL offerings could best support and meet the needs of DLI Spanish teachers' best practices in the target language. The perceptions and experiences of seven Spanish DLI…

School administrators utilize varied leadership styles when providing professional support for their teachers. Although no leadership style is perfect, it is clear that administrative support or lack thereof affects teacher retention and attrition (Allen, 2005). Administrative support can be more difficult to provide in an area such as English for…

Despite the promise of equal education opportunities for all students in the nation, the achievement/opportunity gap between English language learners (ELLs) and their non-ELLs peers persists. Time, effort, and resources of all kids have been invested in educational reforms to improve these students' outcomes without success (Darling-Hammond,…

The problem is that while the number of Multilingual learners (MLs) in Maryland has drastically increased, there are not enough English language development (ELD) teachers certified or prepared to deliver effective instruction. A gap in the research exists because English Language Development (ELD) teachers seldom feel prepared to meet the…

In modern education, teachers are continuously faced with hurdles that challenge their abilities to teach students diagnosed with ADHD or other learning disabilities effectively. When faced with these challenges, teachers must use the most effective modalities to facilitate quality learning among these specific students. The problem teachers and…

Research over the last two decades has shown middle school EBs are at risk for academic failure due to compounded systematic challenges that prevented them from acquiring reading proficiency level required to succeed in academic setting (Bowman-Perrott et al., 2010; Deussen et al., 2017; Sheng et al., 2011; Slama, 2012). EBs face shortages of…

As our student population becomes more culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD), the field of school psychology continues to have demands to improve upon best-practice procedures in accurately evaluating and identifying students with disabilities, without pathologizing cultural and linguistic differences. Specifically, students in the Armenian…

Language is the way that nations transfer their customs and history to the new generations. The language is the cultural medium that is used for this transforming type of communication between generations. Thus, comes the role of cultural awareness into playing its significant effect in the process of linguistic interaction between generations.…

This dissertation study presents a case study of one of the largest educational agencies in China. The study investigated the instructional effectiveness of the test prep program in Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The purpose of this study is threefold: 1) to examine the educational effectiveness of a language proficiency test…

Within the Christina School District, the English Learner population continues to increase each year. The Christina School District's English Learner program has a manual that is shared only with administrators and English as a Second Language teachers. At the time of this research, there is little to no professional development available for…

Needs analysis (NA) has been a core component of language for specific purposes (LSP) research and curriculum development for the past half-century, and within the past decade has seen significant methodological advancement. Specifically, certain LSP NA research has adopted task as a unit of analysis (e.g., Youn, 2018; Malicka et al., 2019), and…

This dissertation examines the skills, knowledge, and support needs of novice and experienced Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) teachers in higher education in the United States. Using a critical ecological approach (CEA) framework, it aims to contribute to the global growing body of research on LSP teacher preparation that has thus far…

The purpose of the study was to address the Adult TESOL leadership concern of insecure grant funding. It focused on two key performance indicators: Student retention and academic skill level gains. Students dropping out of the program and scoring poorly on assessments are an ongoing concern for leadership. The study used an intervention and…

This qualitative phenomenological study explores U.S. principals' challenges, successes, and best practices in leading Mandarin Chinese immersion programs in high-need rural schools in a Midwestern state. The study addresses cultural efficiency, increasing student enrollment through principalship preparation, and attracting the interest of parents…