Advocating Elementary ELL Teachers\u27 Perceptions of Implementing Sheltered Instructional Strategies

The purpose of this study was to analyze the use of reading strategies being implemented in an urban school district in the Southeast. This study was framed on the SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) Model (Echevarria et al., 2017). SIOP is an instructional framework that has been used in K-12 schools since the 1980s. It is a framework for instruction that encourages teachers to set students up for success by consciously and deliberately connecting them to the content, the language, and one another. This research analyzed the results of a Likert scale survey to determine teachers’ perceptions of the reading strategies taught in their classrooms. A cross-sectional survey research design was utilized for this study. A questionnaire, ELL Teachers’ Perceptions of Sheltered Instructional Strategies, was created from the literature on sheltered instruction, particularly the SIOP® Model. To check instrument reliability and validity, the survey was field-tested with twelve ELL teachers from schools in the Middle Tennessee area. Fifteen individuals were invited to participate in the SIOP survey, and twelve individuals responded. To validate the survey, specifically regarding “clarity” and “relevance” of constructs, an expert panel was consulted. The participants were considered experts based on their current roles as ELL teachers. Among the major findings of the study included: statistically significant difference in perceptions by (a)Years of Experience, (b) Number of ELL Courses Taken in Undergraduate Program, and (c) Graduate Degree Major