Teachers Who Work with English Learners Who Have Had Interrupted Schooling: A Collaborative Action Research Study

Abstract

This study centered around the knowledge and experiences of those teachers who work with a unique group of English Learners (ELs) who are often referred to as students with interrupted schooling. Recent immigration trends show that an increasing number of immigrant students with interrupted schooling are entering U.S. classrooms. Students with interrupted schooling may have more extreme socioemotional, literacy, and academic needs than former EL populations due to changing global situations and factors that have influenced this demographic. These factors have led to changes in the way students with interrupted schooling acquire English as an additional language and call for teachers to be prepared to work effectively with them. This study was done through a Collaborative Action Research (CAR) collective, where English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers examined their own pedagogical knowledge, skills, and practice and then were called upon to contribute Professional Development (PD) recommendations, future research recommendations surrounding education for ELs with interrupted schooling, and improved pedagogical guidelines and resources that were determined collectively by their informed experiences and knowledge as desired additions to benefit ESOL teachers who work with ELs with interrupted schooling. Additionally, the teachers in this CAR collective are educators who were all directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the findings of this study also include significant themes that surround the impact on ESOL teachers and ELs during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research contributes recommendations, new knowledge, and resources that will serve to inform the educational research community as well as benefit teachers, school division Professional Development, and schools and colleges of education for pre- and in-service programs offerings.