ERIC Number: EJ1297935
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jun
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1949-3533
EISSN: N/A
EAL Programs at U.S. Community Colleges: A Multistate Analysis of Placement Tests, Course Offerings, and Course Content
David, Nick; Kanno, Yasuko
TESOL Journal, v12 n2 e562 Jun 2021
When U.S. English learners (ELs) attend college, they are more likely to enroll in 2-year community colleges than in 4-year colleges. Prior research points to the tension between English as a second language (ESL) programs providing support to ELs and lengthy ESL programs acting as barriers to ELs seeking access to mainstream college coursework. Nevertheless, community college ELs and ESL programs remain understudied. The researchers investigated community college ESL placement, course sequence length, and types of ESL courses offered across the United States by examining the 2017-2018 catalogs of community colleges in nine states. Two hundred seventy-two community college catalogs were analyzed. Findings include that 81% of colleges reported offering some ESL-specific coursework and that ESL course sequences varied on average from 2.3 to 4.7 semesters in length across states. For most states studied, ESL courses were solely structured around skills-based instruction. Furthermore, although general English placement information was accessible and often standardized within states, ESL placement information was rarely available and sometimes out of date. Based on these findings, the authors recommend that community college ESL programs implement valid placement procedures, award college credit for ESL coursework, and streamline student access to discipline-specific academic and vocational content.
Descriptors: Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, English Language Learners, Community Colleges, Two Year College Students, Placement Tests, Course Descriptions, Course Content, School Catalogs, College Credits
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A