ABSTRACT

Recent research suggests that English learner (EL) classification can impact students in both positive and negative ways. We do not know enough, however, about what contexts and features of EL education lead to these divergent effects. Because students are classified as ELs at all grade levels, and the structure and content of schooling change dramatically across grades, one important consideration is whether EL classification operates differently for students in different grade spans. This study draws on the knowledge of veteran EL educators in one large, urban school district to examine the affordances and potential hazards of being classified as EL in different grade spans. The paper asks first, how these educators interpret EL-classified students’ academic and social experiences at different grade spans, and second, what features of schooling shape these heterogeneous experiences of EL classification. Analysis of in-depth interviews suggests that academic exclusion, insufficient resources, and tracking, among other schooling features, increasingly constrict opportunities for students classified as ELs in upper grade spans. Key transitions – from early to mid-elementary, and from elementary to secondary – also alter EL-classified students’ experiences.

摘要

最近的研究表明，英语学习者 (EL) 分类可以以积极和消极的方式影响学生。然而，我们对 EL 教育的哪些背景和特征导致了这些不同的影响知之甚少。由于学生在所有年级都被归类为 EL，并且学校教育的结构和内容在各个年级之间发生了巨大变化，一个重要的考虑因素是 EL 分类对不同年级跨度的学生是否有不同的运作方式。本研究借鉴了一个大型城市学区的资深 EL 教育者的知识，以检查在不同年级被归类为 EL 的可能性和潜在危害。该论文首先询问，这些教育者如何解释 EL 分类学生在不同年级跨度的学术和社交经历，其次，学校教育的哪些特征塑造了 EL 分类的这些异质体验。对深度访谈的分析表明，学术排斥、资源不足和跟踪以及其他学校教育特征，越来越限制被归类为高年级跨度 EL 的学生的机会。关键的转变——从小学早期到中学，以及从小学到中学——也改变了 EL 分类学生的经历。