Pilot Study Update - Characteristics and Pedagogical Techniques of ESL Teachers

My pilot study into the characteristics and pedagogical techniques of ESL (English as Second Language) Teachers is in full swing. I have conducted four interviews with local teachers and am in the transcribing, member checking and coding process now. The transcribing is becoming difficult as elementary teachers tend to be more rushed and have the capacity to communicate a lot of information in a very short time, thus turning my 4.5 minutes for transcribing each minute of the interview into a 7:1 ratio. Thus, a 17 minute interview is taking two hours to type out.

However, I am gathering great information and developing a number of significant codes. Working with 21 right now, which fall into five categories, but feel that the number of codes will flesh out to 40-50 after I complete the transcription process.

After the class presentation on December 7th, I will certainly aim to post some highlights of the study. Of course, there are issues of maintaining the anonymity of the participants, who I am indebted to for their assistance. Their love for the job is obvious and the energy with which they talk about their students is infectious.

There are a couple of items which I can probably address right now. First, I did not realize how important such a study could be for this region at this time. Granted, a pilot study only clips the top off the iceberg, but I am becoming aware that a more in-depth type of study, especially for a dissertation, could assist a number of school leaders not just here, but in other regions where the ESL program is in its infancy stages. I am seeing the challenges that come when such a program is put into place. There are issues of teachers earning the necessary endorsement, the balance between how often the ESL students should be included in regular education classrooms, testing and accountability, and certainly a number of sensitivity issues, which lead to the larger topic of cultural competence.

At this time, I don't have the answers. But, to mimic a recent Anderson Cooper show commercial, I am developing the questions, and this current study is helping me a great deal to view the larger issues with a keen lens.