A Phenomenological Study of Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of Completing ESOL Field Placements

Abstract

Over the last several decades, the number of English language learners (ELLs) has grown significantly and has created a change in the K-12 educational settings. In order to effectively educate this population of learners, teacher education programs often incorporate opportunities for their teacher candidates to observe techniques and practice implementation with ELLs. These observations and hands-on learning experiences provide pre-service teachers the opportunity to implement the strategies and accommodations they are learning in their coursework. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate teacher candidates' experiences with diverse field placements (school-based and community-based) and the influence that placements may have on preparing pre-service teachers to instruct ELLs. Pre-service teachers enrolled in a Florida public university completed reflective journals, which were coded for themes. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed. The findings from these data sources suggest that the experiences differed greatly based on field placements. For example, pre-service teachers who participated in community settings engaged in more interactions; whereas, those who participated in classrooms observed more examples of learner supports. Overall, after their field experiences, the pre-service teachers did not feel prepared to tackle classroom management in general. Implications for improving ESOL field experiences are discussed.

Creating Confident Preservice Teachers for EL Students in the Changing World

“…Experiences such as the ones described by Wilma, Rachel, and Jing represent the significance of quality preparation experiences for improving teachers' pedagogical toolboxes as they engage in transforming theory to practice when working with EL students. As such, their comments highlight the importance of fieldwork and that preparation programs should entrench similar approaches that allow for meaningful opportunities between teacher candidates and EL students to build teacher competency and capacity for working with EL students (Torres & Tackett, 2016). Thus, the context where the learning occurred for these preservice teachers likely influenced their perceptions and confidence levels as they worked alongside EL students to become more efficacious and proficient in their craft.…”

“…Preservice teachers submitted written reflections and results showed that they had limited experiences working with EL students in mainstream classrooms. A study conducted by Torres and Tackett (2016) on 199 preservice teachers' beliefs for teaching EL students found that candidates who took CLD courses as compared to candidates who did not take CLD courses felt better prepared for working with CLD students. The study suggested how CLD courses and exposure to EL students in the field were beneficial for enhancing candidates' beliefs since participants in the study reported higher self-efficacy and confidence for educating ELs in their future classrooms as compared to candidates who did not have similar opportunities.…”

“…(Schleppegrell, 2004;Téllez & Waxman, 2006;Valdés, Capitelli, & Alvarez, 2010). Moreover, as aforementioned, having a relatable experience such as proficiency in a second language (Wessels et al, 2017), having field-based opportunities (Torres & Tackett, 2016), and having professional development or specialized training (Echevarria, Short, & Vogt, 2008;Kazemi & Hubbard 2008;Tran, 2014) could impact the confidence and cultural competency levels of preservice teachers as they work with EL students.…”

Supporting Practitioner Inquiry in Teacher Education: Opportunities and Challenges in ESOL Contexts

“…As the first phase of the teacher development continuum, teacher preparation programs play a vital role in the educator pipeline (Lucas & Villegas, 2013). Strong teacher preparation programs support teacher candidates in developing the knowledge, disposition, and pedagogical skills to effectively meet the needs of EBs in terms of language development and content acquisition (Coady et al, 2011;Torres et al, 2019). Effectively prepared teachers are also better positioned to serve as advocates for and with EBs and their families (Athanases & de Oliveira, 2008;Linville, 2020).…”