Raising Preservice Teachers' Efficacy with ELs Through Service-Learning

This dissertation investigated the effects of service-learning with English learners (ELs) on preservice teachers’ efficacy. Preservice teachers often report having low self-efficacy for teaching ELs. This low self-efficacy could be related to a lack of cultural competence and understanding of second language acquisition. Service-learning with ELs may be able to raise their efficacy. This study asks: (1) if service-learning significantly improves preservice teachers’ efficacy with ELs, (2) if EL learning sites significantly differ in developing efficacy during service-learning, and (3) how do different types of service-learning settings differ from each other in the ways they impact preservice teachers’ self-efficacy with English learners? Two hundred participants served in three types of EL settings: PreK-12, intensive English program, and community adult ESL. They each served for a period of eight to ten hours. Participants completed pre and post surveys measuring their levels of efficacy for working with ELs, and wrote field reflections describing their experiences. Survey results indicated that while all locations increased their efficacy, there was an interaction effect between participants’ initial levels of efficacy and the type of setting they served in. Participants beginning with low or moderate levels of efficacy benefitted most from working in adult EL settings, while participants beginning with high levels of efficacy benefitted most from working in more academic settings. Analysis of field reflections indicated variation in how settings helped participants to develop efficacy with ELs. Adult EL settings, particularly the intensive English program, offered greater possibilities for understanding the second language acquisition process and building cultural competence, while child EL settings gave more opportunities to preservice teachers to see how to work with ELs in their future professional environment. Teacher education programs can help preservice teachers to increase their efficacy for working with ELs, by first assessing their current levels of efficacy, and then assigning them to the setting appropriate for their developmental needs. Preservice teachers with low levels of efficacy may benefit more by first serving h adult ELs to build up their cultural competence and understanding of language learning, before transitioning to work with children in more academically oriented settings