Publication Date
2024
Degree Name
EdD in Global Education
Primary Advisor
Melissa Whatley
Second Advisor
Alla Korzh
Third Reader
Elka Todeva
Abstract
This mixed-methods study explored how much English-as-a-foreign-language teacher educators used English, Spanish, or a combination of those languages in teaching content courses (e.g., pedagogy, linguistics) and how their language use practices related to the teacher capabilities they most valued. Quantitative data was collected with a survey of 115 teacher educators from 21 Ecuadorian universities. Most participants reported teaching in English while incorporating some Spanish, usually in minimal amounts; most believed in minimizing Spanish. Ordinary least squares regression analysis indicated the amount of Spanish included related to teacher educators’ prioritization of teacher empowerment over accountability to standards and to teacher educators’ own English proficiency. Qualitative data was collected in focus group interviews with a subset of 37 teacher educators from 18 universities. Thematic analysis showed how educators linked English-only practices with fostering English proficiency and multilingual practices with fostering non-linguistic capabilities, especially teacher identity and cognition; factors perceived as constraining teachers’-in-formation conversion of English-medium course inputs into valued capabilities were especially salient for teacher educators with multilingual approaches. The mixed-methods integration concluded that valued teacher capabilities were linked to teacher educators’ language use in a relationship closely bound with the affordances and constraints of specific contexts. Language ideologies and teacher educator characteristics also had a role in language use practices. The study provides insight into the potential of multilingual approaches in global English language teacher education and higher education more generally, and urges educators and programs to critically reflect on what contextualized language use practices align with their values and goals.
Disciplines
International and Comparative Education | Language and Literacy Education | Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Teacher Education and Professional Development
Recommended Citation
De Angelis, Adeline, "Linking Language Use Practices and Valued Teacher Capabilities: A Mixed Methods Study of English-As-A-Foreign-Language Teacher Educators" (2024). Dissertation Collection. 1.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/dissertations/1
Included in
International and Comparative Education Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons