This work was designed to provide insight into how a disaster of historical proportions, in this case the COVID pandemic, influenced the work foreign language (L2) teachers in an English as a foreign language (EFL) setting. The research was situated within the framework of positive psychology (Seligman, 2011), with the investigation of the…

There is a lack of research about the effective methods English language learners' (ELLs) teachers can use to motivate students to learn English as a second language by transmitting the importance and how they ensure successful student outcomes in all four language domains. Data that leads to effective motivational methods for English language…

In the U.S., the EL student population in public schools continues to grow and it raises the question on how to effectively instruct and prepare these students to achieve academic proficiency. The purpose of this quantitative study is to determine if and to what extent there is a quantitative link between gains from 2nd to 3rd grade where the…

Learning a second language is a complex task. Adopting the innovative use of a multimodal literacies approach provides young second language (L2) learners with expanded opportunities to immerse themselves in the target language. This study explored how participants utilized their multimodal literacies along with the level of investment…

American Sign Language (ASL) courses in U.S. higher education often inadequately incorporate multicultural content, with many educators lacking knowledge of multiculturalism and relevant cultural resources. The purpose of this study was the exploration of ASL educators' perspectives on the incorporation of multicultural content in ASL classrooms…

The population in the United States continues to become more diverse each year. Our education system is not designed to support students that do not have English as a first language. The population of multilingual learners are falling behind their English Proficient peers. Inadequate teacher training and program design are contributing factors as…

This mixed-methods explanatory sequential study aimed to identify the most commonly used World Language curriculum models in New Jersey high schools, assess the level of curriculum coherence in Spanish programs, and examine their impact on student learning. Surveys and interviews with high school Spanish teachers revealed that, while theoretical…

The expansion of heritage language education in the U.S. is contingent upon the improvement of heritage language teachers' knowledge and abilities in the classroom, as well as the adoption of the most effective methods for instructing heritage language learners. In order to accomplish the aforementioned goal, it is imperative to identify a set of…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how public-school teachers of English learners (ELs) describe their experiences using direct instruction and explicit instruction to support the academic progress of ELs. The sample included nine ESOL and nine general education teachers of ELs in southeastern Georgia. Constructivist…

In this dissertation I trace my changing practices as a teacher and a learner. I look closely at three questions that have been centrally important to my development as a high school English teacher, and I consider what it might mean for English classes to induct newcomers into the conversations, identities, and dispositions at the heart of…

This study aimed to enhance student engagement in language classrooms by developing a professional learning community (PLC) in the Modern Language Department in a high school. This exploratory study uses a mixed-method design collecting both quantitative and qualitative data through various instruments. Incorporating improvement science, the…

This study delved into the critical examination of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) and its integration into the English/language arts (ELA) curriculum. CRP, rooted in acknowledging and accommodating the diverse literacy levels, languages, and cultural practices of students, holds significant promise in enhancing educational equity and…

The number of English Language Learner students is rapidly rising. Yet, our understanding of how to provide culturally and linguistically responsive teaching to these diverse populations of students remains limited. Research has shown that incorporating students' cultural knowledge and home languages in the instruction and treating them as assets…

This qualitative case study conducted under the informed exploration phase of design-based research explored the design process of an online teacher professional development (OTPD) prototype course for Korean language teachers to adopt a multiliteracies-based pedagogy in the K-12 context. This study is a response to the lack of research on…

Recent studies have projected that by the end of this century between half and up to 95% of the linguistic diversity in the world will disappear or become severely endangered. In the last four decades, the Latin American region, home to more than 500 Indigenous languages, has introduced intercultural bilingual education policies aimed at…