Content-Based Instruction for English Language Learners: An Exploration Across Multiple Classroom Settings

224 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009.For the main findings, first, the results revealed this study was a realistic investigation of how the ELLs were taught English through the content areas, based on an examination of the teachers' perspectives on content-based ESL instruction or regular content-area literacy instruction, the classroom structures involving group work, and the teachers' instructional approaches in each instructional setting. Next, the results of the study revealed that the students' interactions and participation differed based on the types of instruction used in the all-English classroom. However, in the ESL classroom the students were generally active and took a large part in all types of grouping arrangements. Last, the results of this study revealed a triangle of influential factors affecting the students' learning and participation through content-based instruction in the two classroom settings. The students themselves were in the middle of the triangle, as the main avenue for their own learning, and at the vertices were three other elements: school contexts, family backgrounds, and additional factors. In the end, this study suggests how educators, researchers, and policy makers inside and outside the United States might apply the findings of the study to various educational situations to develop an appreciation for content-based instruction and promote ELLs' understanding.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD