Date of Award
12-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Curriculum and Instruction
Committee Chair/Advisor
Jeff Marshall
Committee Member
Brooke Whitworth
Committee Member
Megan Che
Committee Member
Luke Rapa
Committee Member
Matt Voigt
Abstract
Emergent bilingual (EB) students in the US are those who are in the process of developing academic English proficiency. EBs are some of the fastest growing populations of students in American public schools. There exists a great deal of research geared towards developing both curricular resources and instructional strategies to best support EBs in the science classroom, however many of these professional development studies lament the lack of growth in terms of achievement in science learning outcomes of EBs. It is possible that due to a lack of transformation in their beliefs that the teachers in these studies do not effectively implement the curricular and instructional strategies.
This exploratory multiple case study explored the personal transformative learning experiences of five science teachers. These science teachers self-identify as having experienced transformative learning which influenced their attitudes and beliefs towards EB students. Through in-depth interviews, I uncovered the salient aspects of their transformations as well as the barriers and resources involved in their transformations. I found three salient aspects of their TLEs: 1) the disorienting dilemma of inexperience, 2) the role of mentorship in the transformation of beliefs, and 3) the essential presence of EBs in transforming the sociolinguistic meaning perspective. I also found the following barriers and resources involved in their TLEs: 1) the barrier of time, 2) the barriers of language and culture, and 3) the resource of expert guidance. This work aims to impact both research and professional development in science education geared towards improving achievement for EBs.
Recommended Citation
Ruiz, Yamil Ernesto, "From Experiences to Beliefs: An Exploratory Case Study on Science Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Emergent Bilinguals" (2023). All Dissertations. 3474.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/3474
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7980-9630
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons