NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
ERIC Number: ED575587
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 102
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-3696-8789-7
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Demographic Characteristics of Successful English Language Learners in Rural Communities
Murley, Colleen A.
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of South Dakota
As the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) continues to grow in our country, schools are looking for ways to better identify and to help those who need English as a Second Language (ESL) services (Mossaad, 2016). ELLs present a unique challenge to school districts as some perceive that the federal guidelines are vague, but require school districts to develop a program that allows ELLs to fully participate in the educational programming offered to all students. Several states formed a consortium to better assist ELLs. This group, WIDA, has developed English Language Standards for use in ESL instruction and a measurement tool known as the ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) used by a majority of states. The consortium provides some transportability and comparability of ELL success between and among school districts in different states, yet very little is known about these students when they first begin at a school. The purpose of this study was to examine which demographic factors are most closely related to the length of time a student requires to successfully complete an ESL program based upon ACCESS test scores. The variables under consideration were student gender, age of first identification, language spoken in the home, and socioeconomic status. It is hoped that the results of this study will be used to inform instructional strategies in order to provide equal access to educational opportunities to ELLs. This study employed a non-experimental, correlational, ex post facto design. The population in this study consisted of ELL students from a medium-sized, rural, public school district in the upper Great Plains. This study utilized independent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVAs to determine whether differences existed among the 86 students, who had completed the ESL program, based on the variables indicated. The only variable that produced a significant difference was the age at which students are identified by the school district. Additionally, the study correlated each variable with the length of time necessary to complete the ESL program. A moderate correlation was found between the age at which the students were identified by the school district and the length of time needed to complete the ESL program. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A