Date
7-2019
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)
Chair
Amy Jones
Keywords
Teacher Self-Efficacy, English Learners, Teacher Attitudes
Disciplines
Curriculum and Instruction | Education
Recommended Citation
Hughes, Angela, "Teachers’ Self-Perceived Attitudes and Self-Efficacy of Instructing English Learners in Middle Tennessee" (2019). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2151.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2151
Abstract
As the population of English learners (ELs) continues to grow, so does the achievement gap between ELs and non-EL peers. Educators must analyze what could be contributing factors to Els’ low performance, such as misconceptions about ELs, teachers’ attitudes toward teaching ELs, and how teachers perceive themselves as able to instruct ELs effectively. Further research was needed to examine ELs in the general education classroom and teachers’ attitudes to determine when and why teachers feel less or more self-efficacy teaching ELs. The purpose of this quantitative study was to analyze 74 general education teachers’ sense of self-efficacy for teaching English learners (ELs) and teachers’ attitudes toward instructing ELs in general education classroom settings in a public school district in middle Tennessee. The participants included a convenience sampling of 24 elementary, 33 middle, and 17 high school teachers from all subject areas. Teachers’ scores as measured by the Exceptional Children who are English Learners (EXCEL) Teacher Inventory and the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) Students in Mainstream Classrooms: A Survey of Teachers were used to conduct Pearson correlations to explore a possible relationship between teachers’ attitudes toward teaching ELs and teachers’ self-efficacy toward instructing ELs. The researcher found statistically significant relationships between K-12 teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy of instructing ELs and middle school teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy of instructing ELs. The researcher did not find significant relationships between elementary teachers’ or high school teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy of instructing ELs. It was concluded that teachers had positive attitudes toward teaching ELs, and teachers recognized the need for professional development for EL instruction in order to increase teachers’ self-efficacy toward instructing ELs.
