How to better retain teachers in one-way K-12 language immersion programs

Blair, Collin

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/109375 Copy

Description

Title

How to better retain teachers in one-way K-12 language immersion programs

Author(s)

Blair, Collin

Issue Date

2020-11-30

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Cope, Bill

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Cope, Bill

Committee Member(s)

• Kalantzis, Mary
• Montebello, Matthew
• Pak, Yoon

Department of Study

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• language immersion
• teacher retention
• bilingual education
• one-way immersion
• content-based instruction
• multicultural education
• K-12
• foreign language studies

Abstract

Language immersion education is a dream of the 1960s and 70s that has repeatedly found a way to reinvent itself and continue to survive. It not only brings language and culture to classrooms in all corners and cross-sections of society, but it raises the academic capital of the students who are a part of it. Also, as this study aims to promote, it is a part of the fabric of the school, school district to which it belongs, and the greater community of citizens that surrounds it. Very important to that school and overall community are the teachers who dedicate their professional lives to the biliteracy and biculturalism of their students, though it comes with additional costs. K-12 immersion schools, especially their teachers, are often pulled in many directions. Consequently, the quality of curricular instruction can become suspect at times (Tedick & Young, 2018). Though the legitimacy of these programs is quite obvious in border and multicultural communities where both languages (i.e. Spanish and English) are very prevalent on the streets of the community, the programs face wavering support in places with a more monolingual culture (i.e. the U.S. Midwest, western Canada) (Rocque, 2014). One-way immersion programs are an understudied part of immersion education that has become more prevalent, and this researcher argues, needed around the globe. Hence, the main focus of this research study is on one-way language immersion programs, its talented reservoir of teachers, and the stressors that most affect them and the ability to retain them in immersion education.

Graduation Semester

2020-12

Type of Resource

Thesis

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/109375

Copyright and License Information

© 2020 Collin Blair

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