Content area
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine teacher’s perceptions on the effectiveness of the Two-Way Immersion Dual Language Program for the Native English Speaker. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight teachers from a school district in southeast Texas to gain their perspectives of the TWI Dual Language program for the native English speaker. The quantitative findings showed that the TWI Dual Language program was effective for native English speakers when examining student achievement in the English language. The qualitative data showed native English speakers in the TWI Dual Language program struggled in content areas where Spanish was part of the instruction. Furthermore, the data showed native English speakers were not successful in learning Spanish. The interview data revealed four emerging themes: language proficiency and academic achievement, cultural awareness, curriculum and instruction, and family involvement. Based on the qualitative findings, policy makers should consider different standards of student achievement for dual language students, the state should mandate publishing companies create all instructional materials in English and Spanish, and districts should make programmatic decisions concerning the dual language model and require consistency in instructional practices. The researcher concludes the study with implications and recommendations for future research based on these findings.