This article discusses the creation of the STEP-T for ELLs program for teacher professional devel... more This article discusses the creation of the STEP-T for ELLs program for teacher professional development. It focuses on the collaboration that took place between university academics and local teachers and how that collaboration ensured the professional development program was designed to be relevant and effective.
Professional Development in Action: Improving Teaching for English Learners, 2010
This article reports on the creation of the STEP-T for teachers professional development program.... more This article reports on the creation of the STEP-T for teachers professional development program. It focuses on how university academics and local educators collaborated to ensure the program they designed was relevant, engaging, and effective for teachers.
Critical Reflections on Research Methods: Power and Equity in Complex Multilingual Contexts, 2019
This paper provides a narrative account of the difficulties the author encountered when conductin... more This paper provides a narrative account of the difficulties the author encountered when conducting research on English learner students with limited and/or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). Specifically, the author critically reflects on the methods for identifying or classifying students in educational data collection and educational research. The author examines the popular construct of SLIFE and questions common practices in educational data collection and quantitative research in education.
This chapter reports on a quantitative study that examined the English learning of 146 US high sc... more This chapter reports on a quantitative study that examined the English learning of 146 US high school English learner (EL) students with a focus on 15 recently resettled ethnic Chin refugees from Myanmar. The goals were to understand how students' educational backgrounds influenced their learning of English and to identify the most useful variables for understanding the challenges facing recently resettled refugees and students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). The study had three main findings: (1) The Chin students learned English much more slowly than other groups; (2) Most of the Chin students could be identified as SLIFE, but very few had low first language (L1) literacy; (3) Some of the variables used to identify students as SLlFE were associated with slower English learning, but were not very strong or reliable predictors due to high variability. These findings suggest that there must be other important reasons why some students learn English more slowly than others, and that students characterized as SLIFE may not have all the same characteristics and needs. This study broadens our understanding of SLIFE and provides insights for school systems considering how to best serve recently resettled refugees.
Low Educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition, 2015
This paper reports the findings of a study that used school system data and student surveys to ex... more This paper reports the findings of a study that used school system data and student surveys to examine risk and resilience in the educational outcomes of English learner (EL) students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) in U.S. high schools. The outcomes included scores on standardized tests of academic achievement and gains in English proficiency over a year. Indicators of limited or interrupted formal education included gaps in grade-relative schooling, low first- language literacy, and low English proficiency on arrival. It found that SLIFE were common among the high school ELs and also that SLIFE were at higher risk of academic failure, but were surprisingly resilient to challenges and fared well if provided with enough support to learn the English they needed for English-only schooling.
This dissertation examined the educational outcomes of high school English learner (EL) students ... more This dissertation examined the educational outcomes of high school English learner (EL) students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) to evaluate theories that explain their educational resilience. School system data and survey results from 165 high school ELs were analyzed to determine the degree to which ELs' homeland schooling had influenced their academic outcomes in the U.S. Educational outcomes included English proficiency attainment and gains as well as scores on standardized tests of algebra, biology, and English language arts. Limited formal schooling (LFS) was operationalized with three indicators for students on arrival in the U.S.: (1) gaps in years of schooling relative to grade, (2) low self-reported first language schooling, and (3) beginner-level English proficiency. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to estimate the relationships between the LFS indicators and the educational outcomes as well as the degree to which school-based protective factors and personal risk factors had influenced the relationships. Protective factors included perceived pedagogical caring, social integration with non-immigrant peers, ESOL classes, out-of-school help, and extra-curricular activities. Risk factors included high social distance, past traumatic experiences, a lack of authoritative parental support, separations from loved ones, and hours spent working in employment. This study also examined the role students' academic self-concept played in mediating and moderating the influence of protective and risk factors in the resiliency process. The findings showed that SLIFE had lower achievement on the standardized tests, but that it was largely due to having lower English proficiency at the time of the test. Lower English proficiency at the time of the test was mainly attributed to arriving with lower English proficiency and lower first language literacy. ESOL classes appeared to help students acquire English faster. After controlling for differences in English proficiency, students' perceptions of social distance appeared to predict their academic achievement on standardized tests better than their academic self-concept and the other protective or risk factors. This study contributes to our understanding of risk and resilience among SLIFE and may help inform interventions to support them better.
This article discusses the creation of the STEP-T for ELLs program for teacher professional devel... more This article discusses the creation of the STEP-T for ELLs program for teacher professional development. It focuses on the collaboration that took place between university academics and local teachers and how that collaboration ensured the professional development program was designed to be relevant and effective.
Professional Development in Action: Improving Teaching for English Learners, 2010
This article reports on the creation of the STEP-T for teachers professional development program.... more This article reports on the creation of the STEP-T for teachers professional development program. It focuses on how university academics and local educators collaborated to ensure the program they designed was relevant, engaging, and effective for teachers.
Critical Reflections on Research Methods: Power and Equity in Complex Multilingual Contexts, 2019
This paper provides a narrative account of the difficulties the author encountered when conductin... more This paper provides a narrative account of the difficulties the author encountered when conducting research on English learner students with limited and/or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). Specifically, the author critically reflects on the methods for identifying or classifying students in educational data collection and educational research. The author examines the popular construct of SLIFE and questions common practices in educational data collection and quantitative research in education.
This chapter reports on a quantitative study that examined the English learning of 146 US high sc... more This chapter reports on a quantitative study that examined the English learning of 146 US high school English learner (EL) students with a focus on 15 recently resettled ethnic Chin refugees from Myanmar. The goals were to understand how students' educational backgrounds influenced their learning of English and to identify the most useful variables for understanding the challenges facing recently resettled refugees and students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). The study had three main findings: (1) The Chin students learned English much more slowly than other groups; (2) Most of the Chin students could be identified as SLIFE, but very few had low first language (L1) literacy; (3) Some of the variables used to identify students as SLlFE were associated with slower English learning, but were not very strong or reliable predictors due to high variability. These findings suggest that there must be other important reasons why some students learn English more slowly than others, and that students characterized as SLIFE may not have all the same characteristics and needs. This study broadens our understanding of SLIFE and provides insights for school systems considering how to best serve recently resettled refugees.
Low Educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition, 2015
This paper reports the findings of a study that used school system data and student surveys to ex... more This paper reports the findings of a study that used school system data and student surveys to examine risk and resilience in the educational outcomes of English learner (EL) students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) in U.S. high schools. The outcomes included scores on standardized tests of academic achievement and gains in English proficiency over a year. Indicators of limited or interrupted formal education included gaps in grade-relative schooling, low first- language literacy, and low English proficiency on arrival. It found that SLIFE were common among the high school ELs and also that SLIFE were at higher risk of academic failure, but were surprisingly resilient to challenges and fared well if provided with enough support to learn the English they needed for English-only schooling.
This dissertation examined the educational outcomes of high school English learner (EL) students ... more This dissertation examined the educational outcomes of high school English learner (EL) students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) to evaluate theories that explain their educational resilience. School system data and survey results from 165 high school ELs were analyzed to determine the degree to which ELs' homeland schooling had influenced their academic outcomes in the U.S. Educational outcomes included English proficiency attainment and gains as well as scores on standardized tests of algebra, biology, and English language arts. Limited formal schooling (LFS) was operationalized with three indicators for students on arrival in the U.S.: (1) gaps in years of schooling relative to grade, (2) low self-reported first language schooling, and (3) beginner-level English proficiency. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to estimate the relationships between the LFS indicators and the educational outcomes as well as the degree to which school-based protective factors and personal risk factors had influenced the relationships. Protective factors included perceived pedagogical caring, social integration with non-immigrant peers, ESOL classes, out-of-school help, and extra-curricular activities. Risk factors included high social distance, past traumatic experiences, a lack of authoritative parental support, separations from loved ones, and hours spent working in employment. This study also examined the role students' academic self-concept played in mediating and moderating the influence of protective and risk factors in the resiliency process. The findings showed that SLIFE had lower achievement on the standardized tests, but that it was largely due to having lower English proficiency at the time of the test. Lower English proficiency at the time of the test was mainly attributed to arriving with lower English proficiency and lower first language literacy. ESOL classes appeared to help students acquire English faster. After controlling for differences in English proficiency, students' perceptions of social distance appeared to predict their academic achievement on standardized tests better than their academic self-concept and the other protective or risk factors. This study contributes to our understanding of risk and resilience among SLIFE and may help inform interventions to support them better.
Uploads
Papers