Building Academic Confidence in English Language Learners in Elementary School

Non-English speaking students lack the confidence and preparation to be verbally actively engaged in the classroom. Students may frequently display hesitation in learning to speak English, and may also lack a teacher’s guidance in becoming proficient English speakers. The purpose of this research is to examine how teachers build academic confidence in English language learners. This study also examines how teachers can develop active and confident English speaking students, and improve home-school communication. Research questions include the following: What are factors that contribute to confidence among ELL students in gaining English fluency? How can classroom teachers help develop selfconfidence in ELL students? How can classroom teachers enhance home-school communication with families whose primary language is not English? The research approach includes gathering peer-reviewed information from articles, journals, and online databases. Additionally, a qualitative study is designed where several teachers were purposely selected to participate in a one-hour interview. Secondly, parents of children in a Spanish speaking community are being asked to participate in a focus group that addressed communication issues between home and school