Teacher Perceptions of Preparation for Teaching English Language Learners in School

The term “inclusion” refers to the action or state of being included within a group or structure. Classrooms today are comprised of all kinds of children from varied nationalities, needs, and learning styles. Throughout its history, the population of the United States has been diverse and varied. Children come from immigrant families where the language in the home is not English but rather their native language and therefore these are known as linguistic minority families. There is an estimated 25%, which is about one out of every four children in the United States that are part of immigrant families and live in homes where native languages are not English. Over the past few years, there has been increasing concern among teachers, administrators, and Board of Education that new immigrant children are not assimilating into the school systems quick enough. The model of research selected was case study because, in order to create the goal for this particular study, it is imperative to understand common and shared experiences of teachers in the school that teach ELLs in the mainstream and integrated models. The school was in one county and included a total of 14 elementary (grade 4-6) teachers as participants. The research questions that guided the study included: (a) What are the perspectives of teachers who work with English Language Learners about their students and how they learn? (b) How does the experience of co-teaching benefit ESL instruction within a mainstream classroom setting? And (c) How does professional development training for teachers influence their attitudes as they work with English Language Learners and influence their effectiveness in teaching English Language Learners? The study took place during the 2019-2020 school year. The components of the study included a survey questionnaire, individual Interviews, focus groups, and field notes. A total of 12 themes emerged from the interviews and focus groups. In the end, professional development was concluded as a must to best educate English Language Learners.