Pre-Service Teachers' Conceptions of Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practices for English Learners

Secondary social studies classrooms are, ideally, language-rich environments. However, the complex discipline-specific language and literacy skills used in these classrooms create high language demands for ELs enrolled in these courses. As a result, many researchers have called for additional research regarding how to best prepare secondary social studies pre-service teachers (PSTs) for working with ELs and for employing culturally and linguistically responsive practices (Cho & Reich, 2018; Jaffee, 2018; Yoder & van Hover, 2018; Yoder et al., 2016). To better understand how to prepare secondary social studies PSTs within the localized context of the secondary social studies methods program at a public, Mid-Atlantic university, this capstone study employed a descriptive, mixed-methods approach to examine one cohort of secondary social studies PSTs’ experiences working with ELs, as well as the ways in which PSTs described scaffolding for ELs within their teaching placements. Analysis of survey responses, individual interviews, and PSTs’ coursework led to this study’s four major findings. All six interviewees reported valuing ELs’ unique perspectives and recognized ELs as a diverse group of learners, yet only three PSTs indicated feeling confident in meeting ELs’ diverse needs in their future classrooms. Findings from this study further indicated PSTs’ need for additional EL-specific scaffolding strategies and opportunities to practice implementing these strategies within the context of PSTs’ fall and spring teaching placements. This study’s findings were used to inform the secondary social studies program of ways to improve the secondary social studies methods courses’ content and sequencing, as well as the experiences of future secondary social studies PSTs.