ERIC Number: EJ1071874
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Sep
Pages: 36
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0895-9048
EISSN: N/A
Negotiating Language Policy and Practice: Teachers of English Learners in an Arizona Study Group
Heineke, Amy J.
Educational Policy, v29 n6 p843-878 Sep 2015
Arizona language policy now requires English learners (ELs) to enroll in "English language development" (ELD) classrooms for 4 hr of skill-based, English-only instruction. In this article, I describe Arizona teachers' interpretation and negotiation of language policy and practice during this time of change to more restrictive mandates. I conducted this qualitative case study with a teacher study group comprised of six ELD teachers and one instructional coach from an urban elementary school during the first semester of language policy implementation. Using discourse analysis of individual interviews, study group dialogue, and institutional documentation, I investigated teachers' talk as they grappled with restrictive policy mandates and effective classroom practice. Findings indicated that teachers negotiated the cultural models inherent in the institutional policy in the study group setting. In the contemporary context of restrictive educational policies, implications for stakeholders center on professional and collaborative support for educators.
Descriptors: Language Planning, State Policy, English Language Learners, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, English Only Movement, Qualitative Research, Case Studies, Urban Schools, Program Implementation, Discourse Analysis, Language Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Communities of Practice, Educational Policy, Interviews
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Arizona
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A