Hearing the voices of alternatively certified teachers in Texas: Narratives of teaching English language learners in urban secondary mainstream classrooms

Hearing the voices of alternatively certified teachers in Texas: Narratives of teaching English language learners in urban secondary mainstream classroomsHearing the voices of alternatively certified teachers in Texas: Narratives of teaching English language learners in urban secondary mainstream classrooms

HEARING THE VOICES OF ALTERNATIVELY CERTIFIED TEACHERS IN TEXAS: NARRATIVES OF TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN

URBAN SECONDARY MAINSTREAM CLASSROOMS

A Dissertation

by YETUNDE MOBOLA ZANNOU

Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of

Texas A&M University

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Approved by:

Chair of Committee, Norvella Carter

Committee Members, M Carolyn Clark

Zohreh Eslami Gwendolyn Webb-Hasan Head of Department, Yeping Li

December 2012

Major Subject: Curriculum and Instruction Copyright 2012 Yetunde Zannou

All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted.

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UMI 3537064 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013) Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author.

UMI Number: 3537064

ii

ABSTRACT

In Texas, nearly half of all new teachers are alternatively certified (AC) whilst English language learners (ELL) are over one-third of the public school population in some districts As this trend continues, the likelihood that AC teachers will teach ELLs increases and alters what Texas teachers must know upon entering the classroom This research explores teacher knowledge and beliefs about teaching ELLs through

constructivist and narrative lenses Four AC science teachers in two diverse school districts participated in in-depth interviews and reflective interviews following

classroom observations to answer the research questions: (1) how do AC teachers

describe and interpret their acts of teaching ELLs in mainstream classrooms; and (2) how do AC teachers describe and interpret their learning to teach ELLs in mainstream classrooms Data were transcribed and analyzed using thematic narrative methods

This study found that participants saw ELL instruction as: (1) “just good

teaching” strategies, (2) consisting primarily of cultural awareness and consideration for student comfort, and (3) less necessary in science where all students must learn the language The most experienced teacher was the only participant to reference specific linguistic knowledge in describing ELL instruction Many of the teachers described their work with ELL students as giving them an opportunity to improve their lives, which was consistent with their overall teaching philosophy and reason for entering the profession

Participant narratives about learning to teach ELLs described personal experience and person-to-person discussions as primary resources of knowledge District support was generally described as unhelpful or incomplete Participants portrayed their AC

program as helpful in preparing them to work with ELL students, but everyone desired more relevant information from the program and more grade-appropriate strategies from the district

Participant narratives reveal AC teachers needed a pragmatic and less theoretical understanding of diversity during pre-service training Participant tendency to draw upon “common sense”, affective, and practical strategies in teaching ELL students in lieu of the state-mandated English language proficiency standards (ELPS) suggests AC programs should have teachers articulate and discuss their beliefs about ELL instruction

in order to provide training targeted towards misconceptions about language

development, particularly in science

iv DEDICATION

To the heroes of faith—past, present, and future

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible

Matthew 19:26

For me, “this” is more than about finishing degree requirements; “this” is about

becoming someone new through the process For that lasting difference and more to come I thank my God, my Heavenly Father, my Lord Without You, I would not be possible You are my provider and my resource

This is the culmination of a journey, which I have had the honor to share with so many people I would like to thank my committee chair and advisor, Dr Norvella Carter, for seeing more in me than I sometimes knew was there I am proud to be your

colleague To Dr Chance Lewis, you are such an encouragement, teaching more with your actions than could be spoken with words To Dr Carolyn Clark, thank you for making time for me and truly fostering my sense of scholarly competence To Dr

Zohreh Eslami, thank you for your willingness to take a chance on me I always valued your honest feedback on my early ideas and know I am stronger as a result To Dr Webb-Hasan, thank you for all of your support throughout my doctoral program I can only recall taking one class with you but the memories of all you taught me about just being will remain with me forever Committee, thank you for the seeds you deposited in

me during this process In time, they blossomed and saw me through to the completion

of this project

vi

I would like to thank the teachers who participated in this study Thank you for giving of your time and yourselves as an expression of your belief in this research I am

forever grateful to you

To my biggest cheerleader ever, my mom Kudi Smith! Words cannot express how much your love and support have meant to me throughout this 4-year journey I can honestly say I would not have been able to complete this without you, without the peace

of mind sharing life with you has brought me I love you dearly mom Thank you To my brother Mide and my nieces Folasade and Adenike, thank you for your support and understanding why I sometimes couldn’t be with you though my heart longed to be I am

so happy to celebrate this achievement with you

To Genesis and my Congress-WBN family, what can I say? You have been my backbone, helping me to stand straight, not shrink back, and finish well I am so glad to

be journeying with you all—for now and for always My tribe!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ABSTRACT ii

DEDICATION iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1

Background of the Study 1

Personal Story 12

Making Meaning: A Constructivist Approach 16

Statement of the Problem 19

Purpose of the Study 21

Significance of the Study 22

Research Questions 24

Definitions 25

Organization of the Study 28

II LITERATURE REVIEW 29

Alternatively Certified Teachers 30

Mainstream Teachers of ELLs 34

Just Good Teaching and ELL Instruction 41

ELL Instructional Standards 46

Summary 52

III METHODOLOGY 54

Narrative Inquiry 54

Research Context 57

Purposeful Sample 61

Instrumentation 64

Data Collection 65

Researcher’s Role 69

Participants 72

Data Analysis 73

viii

CHAPTER Page

Trustworthiness and Credibility 81

Summary 82

IV FINDINGS 84

Jane’s Story 85

Maya’s Story 109

Nina’s Story 139

Naomi’s Story 169

Summary 199

V DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 201

Discussion 201

Conclusion 208

Recommendations 209

Implications for Future Research 211

REFERENCES 213

APPENDIX A 229