Teaching and Learning

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10323/22238

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Building Cultural Agility in Future Teachers: Pathways for Multilingual Learners
(2026-01-01) Walker, Holly Laraine; Smith, Julia B.; Nidiffer, Jana; Martin, Robert
Increasingly, teachers are called upon to differentiate instruction for Multilingual Learners (MLLs). Typically, the methods of differentiation and scaffolding for MLLs are carried out though ESL programming supports. Many districts that host MLLs have a district ESL coach or coordinator who oversees ESL assessment, placement, progress, and instruction within the standards established by the state. If a district is typical, there will be an ESL support person employed for each school where MLLs attend. In a more progressive scenario, a school may have a team of ESL instructors dedicated to each grade level. At the high school level, there may be sheltered classrooms where MLLs learn content together for their core subjects. There are models that focus on bilingualism, immersion, and transitional instruction where students start their education in the home language and work toward doing academics entirely in English over time. Districts nationwide face funding crises that impact the level of services available for MLLs. In addition, there is an ESL teacher shortage impacting the sustainability of ESL programming. Districts needing attention for MLLs may only have one person in their district overseeing services for all the students. Districts with high numbers of MLLs may have one person in each school overseeing hundreds of students. Due to shortages of ESL support staff, content area teachers are left to their own devices. Many teachers are not skilled in language development and instruction modalities. Teachers are overwhelmed with the task of supporting MLLs in their classrooms and teaching content without sacrificing instructional time and academic rigor. I believe that we can change this landscape by addressing some of these challenges in the pre-service teacher training phase. To explore the pre-service training of currently practicing teachers, I conducted a survey that included items around attitudes toward culture in the classroom, teaching multicultural and multilingual students, and how prepared teachers felt in supporting these MLLs. Respondents indicated the level of support they are getting in the workplace through professional development, available resources, and information that can help them support multilingual learners in their classrooms. The survey included items that measured how well pre-service training prepared teachers in each of these areas. Results of the survey indicated that teachers believe culturally responsive teaching is important. The survey showed that teachers want to increase their cultural competence but are unsure where to find appropriate support materials. Some respondents indicated that support is lacking at the institutional or district level, and professional development would help. In terms of pre-service training, the degree of preparedness for multicultural students varied based on certificate type. Participants with master’s degrees tended to feel more prepared than those with bachelor’s degrees in education or alternative certifications.
What We Believe, We Practice: The Impact of Beliefs on Culturally Responsive Teaching
(2026-01-01) Walroth, Allyson Jean; Smith, Julia; Martin, Robert; Carver, Cynthia
This dissertation explores the extent to which teachers’ personal beliefs impact their likelihood of using culturally responsive teaching practices in the classroom. With a focus on critical race theory, cognitive dissonance, and teacher agency, this study investigates the degree to which teachers’ multicultural attitudes impact their use of equity-focused instructional methods. A three-part survey was used to gather both demographic data as well as self-reported information related to participants’ attitudes and beliefs and their classroom practices. The findings highlight the various beliefs that act as predictors for the use of culturally responsive practices, as well as those that act as barriers for implementation. This research contributes to the discourse on equity by considering the psychological and structural barriers to inclusive teaching and providing a strategic roadmap for districts to bridge the gap between theoretical multiculturalism and a sustainable classroom transformation.
Organizational Change and Digital Learning in K-12 World Language Education: A Case Study
(2026-01-01) Gardiner, Susan Michelle; Smith, Julia; Flumerfelt, Shannon; Abbott, Christine
Organizational change in schools is an enduring and persistent evolution through which institutions manage internal needs, external influences, and shifting educational priorities. A large body of literature has investigated the forces that influence how leaders enact change and the impact those changes have on key stakeholders. However, considerably fewer studies have examined organizational change as it pertains to digital learning in K-12 world language (WL) education. This qualitative case study examined how stakeholders interpreted and responded to a proposed digital learning initiative within a K-12 world language program. The research was conducted in a suburban K-12 district during a period of WL program reductions and restructuring and focused on a proposed kindergarten digital learning push-in pilot within an elementary world language program. Data were collected through interviews, meeting transcripts, district documents, field notes, and researcher memos. This dissertation explored a critical but underexamined challenge in systems change management: the disconnect between the conditions necessary for longitudinally meaningful impact in WL education and top-down initiatives designed to align program structures with changes in the broader educational environment.Findings revealed that stakeholders did not merely resist digital innovation; rather, they interpreted the proposed changes through a historical lens of program reduction, instability, and ambiguous communication, which intensified distrust and uncertainty. Digital learning was perceived differently depending on whether it was framed as enrichment, replacement, outsourcing, or cost-saving. Organizational change was influenced by institutional pressures, resource constraints, and competing priorities. Stakeholders navigating systems with such complex dynamics experienced this tension acutely and responded through compliance, resistance, or by stakeholder mobilization in a unified attempt to influence the proposed transformation. The findings suggest that digital learning initiatives in specialized instructional programs require transparent communication, stakeholder inclusion, and attention to the historical conditions through which proposed changes are interpreted. Along with the persistent and continual flux inherent in organizational dynamics, the emergence of digital platforms and artificial intelligence as instruments of second language acquisition, makes this a timely and relevant study.

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