A Template Analysis of Teacher Agency at an Academically Successful Dual Language School

Abstract

Substantial evidence exists to support dual language (DL) education as a viable and enriching method of supporting high levels of academic achievement for both English language learners (ELLs) and English-speaking students (Christian, 1994;Lessow-Hurley, 1991;Lindholm-Leary, 2001;Thomas & Collier, 2003). Nonetheless, there are many challenges on the path to actualizing the potential of DL programs, including societal pressures and unsupportive educational policies. Dual language teachers are at the forefront of this struggle to raise academic standards for an increasingly diverse student body. As such, those who are successfully navigating these challenges possess information that can inform the collective knowledge base on methods of supporting and enhancing high academic achievement for all learners. Using Bandura's (1989) notion of human agency, this case study examined the characteristics of teacher agency at an academically successful DL elementary school.The purpose of this research was to identify both the factors that inform teachers' sense of agency (antecedents) and the instrucat UNIV NEBRASKA LIBRARIES on April 9, 2015 summary Ray, J. M. (2009). A template analysis of teacher agency at an academically successful dual language school.

Faculty Agency: Departmental Contexts that Matter in Faculty Careers

“…Others, attempt to measure intentional behavior (Dean, Bracken, Allen, 2008; or behavioral outcomes of agency, such as time commitment or academic achievement (Ambrose, 2010;Ray, 2008). The second dichotomy is whether agency is simply strategic will or requires social resistance.…”

Understanding Teacher Candidates’ Engagement with Inquiry-Based Professional Development: A Continuum of Responses and Needs

“…Contextual factors (e.g., mentor teacher, university supervisor, school context in this case) can play a significant role in the extent to which one exercises more or less agency (Ray, 2009). This was first evident in the continuum of responses to collaboration in Theme 2.…”

Teacher Advocacy in Bilingual Programs

“…We found examples of bilingual teachers visiting homes, participating in family celebrations, and reaching out to parents on a regular basis to be sure they were getting important information (Bos & Reyes, 1996;Montero-Sieberth & Pérez, 1987). To address the needs of their emergent bilingual students, teachers voluntarily went into the community to set up support networks in order to establish programs for students, including mentoring, tutoring, and arts programs (Ray, 2009). In their commitment to bilingual education, some teachers worked with parents and community activists to promote bilingual programs and organize advocacy groups for bilingual education (Delgado-Gaitán, 2001;Galindo & Olguín, 1996;Jiménez et al, 1996;Lemberger, 1997;Lenski, 2006;Rodríguez, 2011).…”

“…Mixed method, focus group interviews; background data from program graduates survey database of 300 graduates over 4-year period and case study profiles Pérez (2004) 14 bilingual teachers Qualitative, ethnography Ray (2009) …”