This mixed-methods study was conducted at a single urban high school using the Funds of Knowledge Framework. The goal was to understand the feelings of teachers of elective courses regarding instructing multilingual learners in their classroom. The six departments included in this study were art, physical education, music, technology, business,…

This study explored the relationship between teachers' extrinsic and intrinsic factors that influence high school content teachers' motivation to address multilinguistic learners' (MLs) needs in a large urban school district. A sample size of 38 teachers completed a survey to correlate professional development (as examined through second language…

An increasing number of students in the United States identify as Hispanic or Latino/a. These students enter American classrooms from varying backgrounds with diverse talents. Many of these students are proficient in at least two languages. Unfortunately, Hispanic students are underrepresented in gifted and talented programs, nationwide. The…

E-learning can be particularly challenging for emergent bilingual students or English learners (ELs). Emergent bilingual students rely on readily accessible supports in the classroom such as body language, word walls, gestures, and collaborative work with a partner or group (August et al., 2014). Face-to-face exchanges are critical for these…

This qualitative study examined the experiences and perspectives of five high school teachers in a suburban area in Northern California. It investigated how each mainstream content teacher adapted their curriculum for their Newcomer Emergent Bilingual students. A Newcomer Emergent Bilingual student is one who has recently immigrated to the United…

This study sought to understand teachers' perceptions of their effectiveness in teaching multi-lingual learners, MLLs, in their middle and high school classrooms. Participants were content, related arts, and career teachers who encounter MLLs every semester and endeavor to simultaneously teach content and academic language to students of varied…

A vast amount of Latina/o/x students enroll in US public schools with the potential to become bilingual in English and Spanish. However, this potential is often dismissed, ignored, and their Spanish is perceived as a problem to be overcome. Despite this, some Latina/o/x bilingual students decide to become Spanish as a Heritage Language (SHL)…

Federal legislation requires every student, upon completion of their secondary education, be considered college and career ready. Many states have developed and implemented career and technical education (CTE) programs of study (POS) to answer these mandates. Some stakeholders, familiar with historical vocational education programs, see current…

This qualitative dissertation study explored how multilingual/multicultural immigrant high schoolers' multilayered identities intersected and shaped their experiences and imagined futures. I used intersectionality as a social action theory (Hill-Collins, 2019) as a theoretical lens to examine how multiple aspects of multilingual/multicultural…

Research suggests that students' personalized digital English language practices beyond the classroom can support subsequent in-school academic language development (Alm, 2021). The purpose of this study was to understand the out-of-school and in-school language experiences that bilingual Mexican students identified as supporting their English…

Due to increases in emergent bilingual student enrollment in public schools as well as the increase in accountability for their academic success due to federal and local policies, the role of the EL Specialist has expanded to include serving as an in-house professional development provider. This study critically examines the author's experience as…

This qualitative case study of a high school world language (WL) classroom with flexible language boundaries (Cummins, 2012; Creese & Blackledge, 2010; Garcia & Li Wei, 2014; Turnbull & Daily-O'Cain, 2009) examines how proficient L1 readers constructed meaning from authentic L2 text as emerging bilinguals. Grounded in sociocognitive…

The purpose of this study was to better understand the influence of educators' attention to identity construction as tenth grade Emergent Bilinguals and native English-speaking students develop mathematical, social, and epistemological empowerment in a mathematics classroom. I incorporated a framework detailing critical consciousness as a mediator…

One of the key aspects to learning a language is building good vocabulary knowledge. However, building vocabulary is considered to be as hard a process as developing the language itself in the long term. In second language acquisition (SLA), the larger vocabulary size has been connected to intelligence and as a major determinant of successful…

This qualitative dominant mixed-methods study explored reading motivation among high school English learners whose first language was Spanish. Latina/o English learners (N = 87) from four southeastern, suburban high schools took part. The study utilized survey data to test for significant differences across demographic sectors and to group…