The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of Education THE PERCEPTIONS OF PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND PRINCIPALS OF AMERICAN INDIAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND TEACHING STRATEGIES THAT ADDRESS ELL LEARNING NEEDS: A MULTI-VOCAL QUALITATIVE STUDY A Dissertation in Educational Leadership by Melissa June Bilagody 2014 Melissa June Bilagody Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2014 The dissertation of Melissa J. Bilagody was reviewed and approved* by the following: Roger C. Shouse Associate Professor of Education Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee Nona A. Prestine Professor of Education Kai Schafft Associate Professor of Education Head of the Department of Education Policy Studies Ladislaus Semali Professor of Education *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT This dissertation reports the findings of a multi-vocal qualitative study conducted in a school district, which serves predominantly American Indian students, in the southwestern United States. It explored the perceptions of parents, teachers and principals about instructional strategies to support teaching of American Indian ELL students. The first major goal of this inquiry was to generate recommendations and implications for improving instructional strategies for teachers and principals who work in schools with a high American Indian ELL population. The second goal of this study was the issue of whether or not American Indian ELL students’ learning needs can be met by implementing instructional strategies that address ELL learning differences. The third goal of this study was to encourage and promote discourse in the area of American Indian ELL students and how to best serve their needs. This study was guided by the following question: What instructional strategies might be most effective for American Indian ELL students? In addition, sub-questions included: (a.) What knowledge and skills do teachers of American Indian ELL students need to ensure learning? (b) How can instructional strategies recommended by the literature of ELLs (non- American Indian) be used to improve American Indian ELL students’ learning? (c.) How do principals characterize the implications for supporting and fostering the implementation of instructional strategies? (d.) To what extent do parents perceive their child's teacher provides a suitable environment for ELL? iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures..................................................................................................................... viii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... ix Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. x Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 Autobiographical Introduction ............................................................................. 2 The Need to Study American Indian ELL Students ...................................................... 4 Purpose and Research Questions .................................................................................. 8 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 9 Framework .......................................................................................................... 9 Significance of the Study ............................................................................................. 11 Limitations .......................................................................................................... 13 Delimitations ....................................................................................................... 14 Definitions ........................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 2 ............................................................................................................................ 16 Literature Review ............................................................................................................... 16 American Indian English Language Learners ............................................................... 16 Identifying the Needs of American Indian English Language Learners ......................... 17 Instructional Strategies Across the Curriculum ............................................................ 19 Second Language Acquisition Strategies and More ...................................................... 19 Embedded, Comprehension and Speaking Strategies ............................................ 24 Concept-Based Instruction ................................................................................... 25 The SIOP Model .................................................................................................. 27 Instructional Strategies Used to Teach Literacy............................................................ 27 The SIOP Model (School Reform & Standards Based Education)......................... 27 Lessons from Children ......................................................................................... 31 Instructional Congruency ..................................................................................... 34 Standard English Language Learners ........................................................................... 35 Cultural Alignment ...................................................................................................... 36 Five Standards for Effective Pedagogy ........................................................................ 37 Principals as Leaders ................................................................................................... 38 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 41 Chapter 3 ............................................................................................................................ 43 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 43 v Introduction ................................................................................................................. 43 Qualitative Research .................................................................................................... 43 Multi-vocal Method ..................................................................................................... 45 Guiding Principles ............................................................................................... 49 A Framework for Multi-vocal Synthesis for the Present Study ..................................... 51 Using Professional Groups Work ......................................................................... 54 Participants.................................................................................................................. 54 Parent Participants ............................................................................................... 55 Professional Participants ...................................................................................... 57 Data Collection ........................................................................................................... 60 Means of Collecting Data: Instrument Selection/Construction ...................................... 60 Propositions Generated From Published Research ................................................ 60 Parent Interviews ................................................................................................. 61 Recommendations ................................................................................................ 61 Teacher Focus Groups ......................................................................................... 62 Principal Interview Procedures ............................................................................. 63 Data Analysis Procedures ............................................................................................ 63 Validity................................................................................................................ 65 Triangulation ....................................................................................................... 66 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 66 Chapter 4 ............................................................................................................................ 68 Findings .............................................................................................................................. 68 Overview of the Multi-vocal Qualitative Method ......................................................... 69 Overview of the Findings ............................................................................................ 70 Parent Interviews ......................................................................................................... 71 Parent Perceptions ......................................................................................................