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Examining teachers' roles in English learners achievement in language arts: a gap analysis

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Examining teachers' roles in English learners achievement in language arts: a gap analysis

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Content Running head: TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 1

EXAMINING TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS ACHIEVEMENT IN
LANGUAGE ARTS: A GAP ANALYSIS

by

Joshua M. Lamar

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

August 2018

Copyright 2018 Joshua M. Lamar
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 2
Dedication
Without question, this dissertation is dedicated to my wife, Stefanie, and to my children,
Kensie and Keagan. Not only have they put up with the long hours and crazy schedule of a high
school administrator, but for the last three years, the additional load of doctoral classes and
weekend reading and writing. Family time and vacations were impacted, chores sometimes
ignored, and the family picked up the slack so that I could pursue a lifetime goal and in doing so,
become the best me I could become.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 3
Acknowledgements
I want to thank my dissertation chairs, Dr. Melora Sundt and Dr. Kenneth Yates, whose
patience and endless editing and discussion sessions were valuable beyond measure.
I want to thank my third committee member, Dr. Steve McLaughlin, for his willingness
to participate in my dissertation process and provide feedback that made a difference.
I want to thank Chris Davis, fellow doctoral student, for taking nearly every class in this
program with me, providing the occasional nudge, endless humor, and the hours of carpool
conversations about life and leadership.
I want to thank all of our amazing professors at Rossier who helped us become better and
opened our eyes to the possibilities for change in education.
And finally, I want to thank those who lead me and who encouraged my pursuit of the
doctorate: Dr. Dan Bryan, Dr. Owen Crosby, Dr. Rocky Murray, Dr. Carolee Ogata, and Dr.
Morgan Smith.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 4
Table of Contents
List of Tables 7
List of Figures 10
Abstract 11
Chapter One: Introduction 12
Introduction of the Problem of Practice 12
Organizational Context and Mission 12
Organizational Performance Status 13
Related Literature 14
Importance of Addressing the Problem 15
Organizational Performance Goal 16
Description of Stakeholder Groups 16
Stakeholders’ Performance Goals 17
Stakeholder Group for the Study 17
Purpose of the Project and Questions 19
Conceptual and Methodological Framework 19
Definitions 20
Organization of the Proposal 20
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature 21
Introduction 21
Conceptual Framework 22
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Factors 23
Summary 43
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 5
Chapter Three: Methodology 44
Purpose of the Project and Questions 44
Conceptual and Methodological Framework 44
Assessment of Performance Influences 47
Participating Stakeholders and Sample Selection 62
Instrumentation 62
Data Collection 63
Data Analysis 64
Trustworthiness of Data 64
Role of Investigator 65
Limitations 65
Chapter Four: Results and Findings 66
Participating Stakeholders 66
Data Validation 67
Results and Findings for Knowledge Causes 68
Results and Findings for the Motivation Causes 98
Results and Findings for Organization Causes 105
Summary of Validated Influences 120
Chapter Five: Recommendations and Evaluation 123
Purpose of the Project and Questions 123
Recommendations to Address Knowledge, Motivation, and Organization
Influence 123

Summary of Knowledge, Motivation and Organization Recommendations 134
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan 136
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 6
Limitations and Delimitations 149
Recommendations for Future Research 149
Conclusion 150
References 151
Appendix A: Informed Consent 158
Appendix B: Survey Items 159
Appendix C: Interview Protocol 165
Appendix D: Evaluation Tool, Level 1 & 2 167
Appendix E: Evaluation Tool, Level 1, 2, 3, & 4 168
Appendix F: Level 4 Dashboard 169

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 7
List of Tables
Table 1: Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Performance Goals 17
Table 2: Summary of Assumed Knowledge Influences on Stakeholders’ Ability to
Achieve the Performance 30

Table 3: Summary of Assumed Motivation Influences on Stakeholders’ Ability to
Achieve the Performance Goal 36

Table 4: Summary of Assumed Organization Influences on Stakeholders’ Ability to
Achieve the Performance Goal 42

Table 5: Summary of Knowledge Influences and Method of Assessment 50

Table 6: Summary of Motivation Influences and Method of Assessment 56

Table 7: Summary of Organization Influences and Method of Assessment 59

Table 8: Survey Results for Factual Knowledge Item #1 69

Table 9: Survey Results for Factual Knowledge Item #2 71

Table 10: Survey Results for Factual Knowledge Item #3 73

Table 11: Survey Results for Declarative Conceptual Knowledge Item #4 75

Table 12: Survey Results for Declarative Conceptual Knowledge Item #5 77

Table 13: Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #6 80

Table 14: Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #7 82

Table 15: Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #8 84

Table 16: Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #9 87

Table 17: Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #10 89

Table 18: Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #11 91

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 8
Table 19: Survey Results for Metacognitive Knowledge Item #12 93

Table 20: Survey Results for Metacognitive Knowledge Item #13 95

Table 21: Survey Results for Metacognitive Knowledge Item #14 97

Table 22: Survey Results for Motivation Item #15 99

Table 23: Survey Results for Metacognitive Knowledge Item #16 100

Table 24: Survey Results for Mood Motivation Item #17 102

Table 25: Survey Results for Mood Motivation Item #18 103

Table 26: Survey Results for Mood Motivation Item #19 104

Table 27: Survey Results for Organization Resources Item #20 106

Table 28: Survey Results for Organization Resources Item #21 108

Table 29: Survey Results for Organization Resources Item #22 109

Table 30: Survey Results for Organization Resources Item #23 111

Table 31: Survey Results for Organization Policies, Processes, & Procedures Item #24 113

Table 32: Survey Results for Organization Policies, Processes, & Procedures Item #25 114

Table 33: Survey Results for Organization Policies, Processes, & Procedures Item #26 115

Table 34: Survey Results for Organization Policies, Processes, & Procedures Item #27 117

Table 35: Survey Results for Organization Culture Item #28 119

Table 36: Summary of Assumed Knowledge Gaps Validation 120

Table 37: Summary of Assumed Motivation Causes Validation 121

Table 38: Summary of Assumed Organization Causes Validation 122

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 9
Table 39: Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations 124

Table 40: Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations 128

Table 41: Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations 131

Table 42: Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes 138

Table 43: Critical Behaviors, Metrics, and Timing for Evaluation 140

Table 44: Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors 141

Table 45: Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program 145

Table 46: Components to Measure Reactions to the Program 146

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 10
List of Figures

Figure 1: Gap Analysis Process 46

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 11
Abstract

This study utilized the gap analysis problem-solving framework (Clark & Estes, 2008) in order
to develop strategies for how to close the graduation rate gap among EL students as compared to
all other students at Sunset Hills High School. The purpose of the study was to identify whether
knowledge, motivation, and/or organizational barriers were contributing to the gap. A mixed
method approach was used to collect data. The stakeholders for this study were twenty-three
English Language Arts teachers from SHHS, grades 9-12, who had at least one designated EL
student in their class. In addition to the quantitative survey, 4 SHHS teachers were interviewed to
gain a more in-depth understanding of the perceived causes for the gaps in knowledge and skills,
motivation, and organization culture. The surveys and interviews helped validate assumed causes
that were hypothesized after reviewing scholarly literature. That validated assumed causes for
knowledge were that teachers need to know what culturally relevant pedagogy is, teachers need
to know how to utilize reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning methods, and encourage
appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness, and teachers need to know
how to collect performance data through formative assessments. The validated assumed causes
for motivation was that teachers need to have confidence that they have the skills necessary to
teach effectively with EL students. The validated assumed causes for organization barriers were
that teachers need release time to create culturally relevant lessons, and teachers need to feel that
school and district policies, processes and procedures support their instruction. Solutions to close
the validated causes were developed. The use of the gap analysis framework (Clark & Estes,
2008) in this study demonstrates one approach a school could use to guide their organization in
reaching the graduation rate goal

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 12
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Introduction of the Problem of Practice
Across the state of California, there are 1.3 million English learners, which is 22% of the
total enrollment in California public schools (California Department of Education, 2016). In
addition, a total of 2.6 million students, including English Learners and Fluent English Proficient
students speak a language other than English at home, and represent about 42% of the state’s
public-school enrollment (CA Dept. of Education). Clearly, students whose first language is not
English make up a significant portion of our school-aged population. With the increasing
diversity of students entering public schools, schools are not consistently serving all students
equally well (Brown-Jeffy & Cooper, 2011). Specifically, at the study site, EL students are
graduating from Sunset Hills High School (a pseudonym) at a rate of 87% percent for the past
few years, which is lower rate than the average of 97% for all students. The graduation gap
indicates that the organization is not maximizing the learning, growth, and development of all
students.
Organizational Context and Mission
Sunset Hills High School is a comprehensive high school serving 3000 students in
Southern California. Sunset Hills High School is part of the Sunset Beach High School District.
SBHSD has over 20,000 students who attend seven comprehensive high schools and three
alternative educational sites. Sunset Hills High School has served students in the city of Sunset
Hills since 1966. The school has become a beacon of excellence within the community and was
recognized as a California Distinguished School twice in the mid-2000s.
The strength of the SHHS program is the diverse curriculum offered to the students by a
committed and caring staff. The curriculum at SHHS offers advanced placement and honors
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 13
courses representing the most rigorous curriculum; diverse elective offerings including vocal and
instrumental music programs known throughout the nation for their excellence; vocational and
technical opportunities for students to explore career options; and a comprehensive special
education program for students with various disabilities.
The school’s mission statement is: Sunset Hills High School is committed to expanding
and maximizing the achievement, enrichment and advancement of every student through the
supportive efforts of a committed and dedicated staff, in collaboration with families and
community. Our students will strive for excellence in their personal development and learning
and will become responsible and productive citizens.
The mission statement was derived through a stakeholder inclusive process of meetings,
editing, and approval. It is important to note that the organization’s goal is to maximize the
achievement, enrichment and advancement of every student to the capacity of the student, and
not beyond. SHHS had consistent growth during the early 2000s of about 100 students per year.
Since 2013, enrollment has remained stable, with almost no net gain or loss of students. In
addition, the community is built-out, with no projected new housing to bolster enrollment.
Organizational Performance Status
The organization’s problem of practice is relatively low graduation rates of EL high
school students compared to the student average. Although the EL students at SHHS are
graduating at a rate of 87% percent -- a rate that some may consider acceptable, the desire is to
improve instructional practices to ultimately hit an EL graduation rate of 100%. The graduation
gap indicates that SHHS is not maximizing the achievement, enrichment and advancement of
every student of every EL. Historically, EL graduation rates at SHHS have averaged from 87%
to 90%. This translates into several hundred students over the last four years who may not be
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 14
fully prepared to either enter college or a career, much less, be equipped to conduct everyday
transactions, without optimal language skills. It should be noted that there are many factors
influencing graduation rates internal and external to SHHS, and this study focused on a particular
set of practices within the school setting.
Related Literature
Research shows that over the last decade, English Learners have not been getting
adequate support in their regular classrooms (Fitzgerald, 1995; Mohr, 2004). Studies contend
that teachers lack the pedagogy to best support the needs of English Learners (Fitzgerald, 1995;
Mohr, 2004). As the numbers indicate, it is likely that the average teacher will have English
Learners in their classes, especially in core classes like English Language Arts, underscoring the
importance of teachers being prepared to serve the needs of the English Learner population.
Thus, “in order to meet the same challenging standards and to have the opportunity to achieve
the same educational outcomes, some students need more support and resources than others”
(Gandara & Rumberger, 2004, p.131). In fact, studies show that acquiring the English
proficiency needed to succeed academically is a slow process (Cornell, 1995) for English
learners and it can take five to seven years of special English instruction for these students to
function effectively in academic courses (Cornell, 1995). As a result, culturally diverse
classrooms have important implications for educators who need to acquire new pedagogical
knowledge of diversity to support these students in achieving academic success (McCartney,
2012).
Professional development for teachers is at the forefront of methods that can be used to
improve English language development (ELD) teachers’ instructional capabilities and in turn,
improve the educational achievement of ELs. Research is showing, however, that in spite of
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 15
increased professional development, teachers still doubt their individual skills and capabilities
for working with ELs (Tellez & Manthey, 2015). In other words, teachers are demonstrating a
lack of self-efficacy in working with ELs. Recently, researchers are looking at teacher collective
efficacy, or the teachers’ perception of their own capability to improve instruction for EL
students (Tellez & Manthey, 2015).
Research is finding significant gaps between English Learners and English-proficient
students (Calderon, Slavin & Sanchez, 2011). Further, studies from a variety of sources show
that the academic achievement of ELs is not keeping up with the achievement of English
background students (Rumberger & Gandara, 2004). These gaps “signal a need for increased
teacher and staff preparation, whole-school commitment to the EL population, and home-school
linkages and collaborations so that schools can more effectively address these students’
language, literacy, and core content needs” (Calderon, et al, 2011, p.106). If these efforts are in
place, there is significant hope that teachers can improve instruction in a manner that builds
capacity in EL students so that they graduate at a higher rate, thus closing the graduation rate
between EL students and all other students.
Importance of Addressing the Problem
It is important to address this problem for a number of reasons. SHHS is an organization
that prides itself on maximizing learning for all students, and thus attention must be given to the
EL students and the graduation rate performance gap. Non-native speakers need language tools
to exist in an English-only society. By closing the gap, SHHS can help EL students be better
prepared for college and career opportunities. It is not just the future of young people at stake,
but that of the nation as a whole if we do not take on the challenge of educating all children well
(Darling-Hammond, 2007). Creating an environment in which EL students can perform to the
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 16
level of their non-EL counterparts will help ensure that EL students have equal access to higher
level classes during the rest of their high school career and have the same opportunities to be
fully college and career ready. Doing so ensures that SHHS is serving all parts of its student
community. In addition, closing the performance gap for EL students may well raise the bar for
all students as instructional practices improve. As an organization, this helps SHHS avoid
sending students into college or the workforce who are not prepared to function at the highest of
levels.
Organizational Performance Goal
The goal of the organization then is to close the graduation gap. Closing the graduation
gap indicates that we are maximizing the learning, growth, and development of every EL. The
specific organizational global goal is that 100% of ELs will graduate on time. The strategic
performance goal is to close a gap of 13% by improving the graduation rate at least 2% per year.
Description of Stakeholder Groups
The stakeholders for this project include students who are English Learners, teachers, and
administrators. Administrators will want to consider the barriers the teacher is experiencing and
work to remove or mitigate those. Teachers will want to consider the barriers the student is
experiencing and work to remove or mitigate those. Students should be highly engaged in the
efforts needed to graduate. Achieving the organization’s global goal is based on the EL students’
ability to make progress in their ELA classes. The EL students’ progress will be impacted by the
methods of instruction and support that teachers provide them. When the stakeholders make
progress in their proficiencies and competencies, the global goal becomes achievable.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 17
Stakeholders’ Performance Goals
Table 1.
Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Organizational Mission
Sunset Hills High School is committed to expanding and maximizing the achievement,
enrichment and advancement of every student through the supportive efforts of a committed
and dedicated staff, in collaboration with families and community. Our students will strive for
excellence in their personal development and learning and will become responsible and
productive citizens.
Organizational Global Goal
The organization’s global goal is that 100% of ELs will graduate on time.
Stakeholder 1 Goal
ELA Teachers
Stakeholder 2 Goal
Site Administrators
Stakeholder 3 Goal
EL Students
ELA Teachers will teach
100% of the content
standards using 100%
culturally relevant
pedagogy 100% of the
time.
Administrators will provide resources,
policies and school climate to build
capacity for ELA teachers to teach 100%
of the content standards using 100%
culturally relevant pedagogy 100% of the
time.
EL students will
pass all courses
needed for
graduation.

Stakeholder Group for the Study
This project will focus on ELA teachers as the stakeholders. The stakeholders’ goal, as
supported by administration, is that ELA Teachers will teach 100% of the content standards
using 100% culturally relevant pedagogy 100% of the time. As a student-centered organization,
the desire is to consider the barriers the teacher is experiencing and work to remove or mitigate
those to improve student achievement. SHHS takes to heart its commitment to expanding and
maximizing the achievement, enrichment and advancement of every student through the
supportive efforts of a committed and dedicated staff, in collaboration with families and
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 18
community. The intermediate organizational goal is that by the end of 2019, the graduation rates
for EL students will have improved by 2%. Currently, 87% of EL students are graduating, which
means there is a performance gap of 13%.
Achieving this intermediate goal is necessary if the organization’s goal of ensuring that
100% graduation rate of EL students is to be met. This will result in an improvement in the
capacity of ELA teachers to improve their practice to meet the needs of EL students and will
help the organization meet its stated mission and Global Goal. By 2026, all ELA teachers will
teach 100% of the grade level language arts content with 100% culturally relevant pedagogy
100% of the time.
Critical Behaviors
To help achieve the desired organizational goal, teachers must commit to engaging in
certain actions. These critical behaviors, if performed with fidelity, and if done in a specific,
observable, and measurable manner, will have a significant impact on the outcome (Kirkpatrick
& Kirkpatrick, 2016). For ELA Teachers to teach 100% of the content standards using 100%
culturally relevant pedagogy 100% of the time, they must demonstrate the following critical
behaviors:
1. Create and teach lessons that address all the ELA content standards and are
culturally relevant.
2. Create a caring and positive classroom atmosphere (Brown & Cooper, 2011).
3. Use strategies such as reciprocal teaching and allow students to lead class
discussions, giving students a voice and a sense of empowerment in their learning
(Mayer, 2008; Scott & Palincsar, 2006).
4. Use cooperative learning activities that foster and develop collaborative
skills (Diller & Moule, 2005).
5. Encourage appropriate cognitive processing by assisting the learner to
activate prior knowledge and process relevant material (Mayer, 2011.)

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 19
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to determine the knowledge,
motivation and organizational barriers to all ELA teachers teaching 100% of the grade level
language arts content with 100% culturally relevant pedagogy required for 100% of students to
pass their course and advance to the next grade level and ultimate graduation. The gap analysis
approach (Clark & Estes, 2008: Rueda, 2011) assisted in the analysis of the challenges and
barriers in knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational culture, determined the causes of
these challenges, and identify and implement solutions that EL teachers can use to help improve
the graduation rate of EL students.
The project was guided by the following questions:

1. What are the knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational barriers to
all ELA teachers teaching 100% of the grade level language arts content with
100% culturally relevant pedagogy 100% of the time?
2. What are the knowledge and skills, motivations, and organizational solutions
such that all ELA teachers will teach 100% of the grade level language arts
content with 100% culturally relevant pedagogy 100% of the time?

Conceptual and Methodological Framework
The framework for the methodology in the study is the Clark and Estes Gap Analysis
(2008; Rueda, 2001). The Gap Analysis is a systematic, analytical method that helps to clarify
organizational goals and identify the gap between the actual performance level and the preferred
performance level within an organization and was implemented as the conceptual framework.
The methodological framework is a qualitative case study with descriptive statistics. Assumed
knowledge, motivation and organizational influences that interfere with organizational goal
achievement were generated based on personal knowledge and related literature. These
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 20
influences were assessed by using surveys, interviews, a literature review and content analysis.
Research-based solutions will be recommended and evaluated in a comprehensive manner.
Definitions
CELDT California English Language Development Test
CTEL California Teacher of English Learners
EL English Learner
ELA English Language Arts
ELD English Language Development
SDAIE Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English

Organization of the Proposal
Three chapters are used to organize this proposal. This chapter provided the reader with
the key concepts and terminology commonly found in a discussion about EL academic
achievement. The organization’s mission, goals and stakeholders as well as the initial concepts
of gap analysis were introduced. Chapter Two provides a review of current literature surrounding
the scope of the study. Topics of EL academic achievement, culturally appropriate pedagogy,
supports and interventions, will be addressed. Chapter Three details the assumed interfering
elements as well as methodology when it comes to the choice of participants, data collection and
analysis.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 21
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Introduction

Due to the growing population of English Learners, educators must focus on how to meet
the needs of this group and develop pedagogy and curriculum to increase English Learner
achievement (Brown-Jeffy & Cooper, 2011). Across the state of California, there are 1.3 million
English Learners, which is 22% of the total enrollment in California public schools. In addition,
a total of 2.6 million students, including English Learners and Fluent English Proficient speak a
language other than English at home, and represent about 42% (and growing) of the state’s
public-school enrollment. Students whose first language is not English make up a significant
portion of our school-aged population (California Department of Education, 2016).
When English Learners reach high school, most struggle academically in spite of having
been in the system for years. Those new to the United States face even larger challenges
academically. Both groups have been found to have large deficits in their English Language Arts
skills, specifically, reading and writing (Olson, 2010.) Studies show that academic achievement
for English background students consistently outpaces that of English Learners (Rumberger &
Gandara, 2004.) As a result of deficits in ELA, and in fact, across the curriculum, English
Learners are not graduating at a rate comparable to their non-English Learner peers. While
solutions are needed at the federal and state level, there are approaches to serving the needs of
English Learners at the site level that can positively impact the academic achievement and
graduation rate for this population.
The purpose of this literature review is to examine scholarly research that identifies
current thinking in terms of instructional practices that lead to EL achievement in ELA
classrooms, ultimately leading to increased graduation rates for EL students. Teachers will need
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 22
to be aware of ELA content standards, culturally relevant pedagogy, EL strategies, how to collect
performance data through formative and summative assessments, and how to reflect on their
practice by using the data to inform instruction. Next, teachers need to consider their motivation
for EL achievement and how they value EL students, both intrinsically and extrinsically, their
level of self-efficacy in serving EL students, and their ability to persist through barriers and
challenges they may face in working with EL students, and that their instructional behavior will
help achieve the organizational goal. Finally, an awareness of the types of organizational
influences and the related research that school leaders will need to consider in order to build
capacity in teachers to increase academic achievement among EL students and to help close the
graduation gap will be discussed.
Conceptual Framework
Clark and Estes’ (2008; Rueda, 2001) gap analysis, a systematic, analytical method that
helps to clarify organizational goals and identify the gap between the actual performance level
and the preferred performance level within an organization, was implemented as the conceptual
framework. In this framework, Clark and Estes (2008) suggest that three areas can be attributed
to the performance gap are knowledge, motivation, and organizational culture.
The purpose of this study was to conduct a gap analysis to determine the causes of the
barriers present for ELA teachers in successfully building capacity in EL students so that they
graduate at a higher rate, thus closing the graduation rate between EL students and all other
students. The primary focus for the performance gap centered on ELA teachers increasing their
capacity for instruction in an EL setting.
In this study, the analysis explored three critical factors that must be examined when
analyzing the performance of ELA teachers. Closing the gap means that our teachers will have
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 23
the knowledge and skills needed to achieve their performance goals, that teachers be motivated,
and that the organization provides no barriers that prevent our teachers from achieving the
organization’s performance goals. In this study, the Clark and Estes (2008) framework was used
to focus on analyzing the causes for a school not achieving an equal graduation rate for EL
students versus all other students. First, the study examined research regarding the knowledge
influences that an ELA teacher of EL students’ needs. Teachers need to know how to achieve the
goal of equal graduation rates, as well as what skills they possess or need to acquire. Next, the
study examined research regarding motivational influences. Teachers need to examine their own
thought processes regarding working towards the goal of equal graduation rates, the persistence
to reach this goal, and the mental effort they need to expend to create graduation rate equality.
Finally, the study looked at the organizational influences that affect how ELA teachers of EL
students improve instruction. Specifically, teachers need to look at organizational barriers in the
form of organizational practice that can hinder or assist in achieving graduation rate equality.
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Factors
Knowledge and Skills
The purpose of the knowledge analysis was to determine if the assumed knowledge
causes were valid and could help explain the performance gap. Discussed were possible
problems with the stakeholders’ declarative, conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and
their metacognitive knowledge (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). These elements all contribute to
the stakeholder gap. Teachers need to know what ELA standards are and how to teach them
using culturally relevant pedagogy. Teachers also need to know EL strategies, and how to use
them to successfully instruct in the EL setting.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 24
Declarative factual knowledge influences. Rueda (2011) explains that factual
knowledge is knowledge that is basic to specific disciplines, contexts or domains. These include
elements such as terminology or principles that one must know or be familiar with in order to
understand and function, in this case, instruct effectively, to solve a problem. In order to reach
the organization goal of closing the EL graduation gap, teachers need to be aware of the
declarative factual, or fact based, knowledge influences. In the context of EL graduation rates
factual knowledge applies to teachers in that they must know EL strategies, principles, and
models of culturally relevant pedagogy.
Teachers must know ELA content standards. Standards, when aligned properly with
assessments, provide a good source of data with which to measure learning (Rothman, et. al.,
2002). This allows for more effective teaching practices. The implication for EL students is that
performance-based measures can be effective when working with EL students (Resnick &
Resnick, 1992). Standards provide the roadmap for the curriculum to be covered, and when
connected with proven instructional methods, positively impact student achievement (Schmoker
& Marzano, 1999). The benefit to EL students is that they receive consistent, measurable, and
strategic instruction. This can insure they have the knowledge they need to move to the next
grade level, and ultimately, graduation.
Teachers must know what culturally relevant pedagogy is. Culturally relevant pedagogy
is not concerned with issues of racism. Rather, it is the idea that learning environments are more
effective when teachers are inclusive in terms of the cultural backgrounds of their students
(Brown-Jeffy & Cooper 2011). It also is the idea of the importance of teachers being non-
judgmental about the cultural backgrounds of their students. Teachers need to instruct with these
concepts in mind. EL students must have equal access to regular level ELA classes. Teachers
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 25
need to have high expectations for their EL students and need to create a supportive learning
environment in which students are empowered to learn (Irvine 2010). Finally, teachers need to
instruct with a variety of teaching methods to support a variety of learning styles. Culturally
relevant pedagogy is a way to improve student achievement by being aware of and sensitive to
the cultural experiences and values of EL students. Culturally relevant pedagogy offered with
fidelity can create a learning environment conducive to EL achievement.
Conceptual knowledge influences. Conceptual knowledge refers to categories,
classifications, principles, generalizations, theories, models or structures pertinent to a specific
domain (Mayer, 2008). In the context of a school setting, and in relation to EL instruction,
teachers need to know EL strategies and principles to help their students access the content and
skills necessary to be successful in ELA classes. When teachers are aware of conceptual
knowledge influences, it expands on what they know and helps them improve learning for EL
students.
Teachers need to know EL strategies, principles and models of culturally relevant
pedagogy. To help EL students access content, educators need to select text books or novels that
match the cultural schemata and the diversity of the classroom (Drucker 2003). Teachers need to
help students activate prior learning during reading (Miller, 2002). Teachers also need to use
differentiated learning and provide varied avenues for learning based on the students’ needs to
support EL achievement (Park, 2015). Another strategy is the use of scaffolding, which provides
meaningful learning in a manner that moves students towards greater understanding (Mayer,
2008; Shute, 2008). Teachers should consider using student culture to help students not only
learn about themselves, but to drive knowledge acquisition (Drucker, 2003). Learning tasks
should be novel, varied, and challenging to help promote mastery orientation, which occurs when
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 26
students are interested in self-improvement (Yough & Anderman, 2006). Learning activities that
are similar to the individual’s cultural settings will enhance learning and transfer of knowledge
(Gallimore, R., & Goldenberg, C., 2001). When instruction is provided in such a manner, EL
students begin to understand that their presence and contributions are valued (Brown-Jeffy, S., &
Cooper, J. E., 2011) helping to engage and motivate students (Irvine, 2010). When teachers
understand and appreciate cultural differences, it creates a positive learning environment that
leads to EL achievement.
Procedural knowledge influences. Procedural knowledge is knowing how to do
something, and a learner acquires these skills either implicitly or explicitly (Rueda, 2011).
Teachers need to be willing to shift a portion of their instructional practice to improve EL ELA
achievement. Specifically, teachers need to know how to develop student/teacher relationships,
utilize cooperative learning methods, encourage appropriate cognitive processing, and collect
performance data.
Teachers will need to know how to develop student/teacher relationships. In their
conceptual framework of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Brown and Cooper (2011) developed 35
broad themes and placed them in five major categories. They point out the importance of positive
student teacher relationship. The relationship between student and teacher, which encompasses
the concepts of caring, interaction, and positive classroom atmosphere is highly influential in
promoting student learning (Nieto, 1999). Students perform better when they know their teachers
care about them as people, care that often extends beyond the classroom (Nieto, 1999). Teachers
who embrace the Culturally Relevant Pedagogy approach create caring interpersonal
relationships (Gay, 2011). This includes facilitating student learning, empowering the learners’
learning abilities, and holding high standards for achievement (Nieto, 1999). Building genuine
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 27
and authentic relationships with EL students promote higher levels of learning and achievement
when combined with an overall positive classroom environment. The positive relationships help
set the table for other areas of supporting EL students in ELA classes.
Teachers will need to know how to utilize reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning
methods. Collaborative learning is when a group is given a task, often challenging, and the group
works together to complete the task (Mayer, 2008). This is most effective when students have
been taught how to work collaboratively, and expectations and roles are clearly defined. The
teacher must also be involved, providing guidance along the way (Mayer, 2008). Reciprocal
teaching also enhances the level of learning when students have a chance to teach the group or
the class what they have learned (Mayer, 2008). It is incumbent on teachers to strategically
implement strategies based on an understanding of both the students’ culture, and also on their
current capabilities (Diller & Moule, 2005). Collaborative learning and reciprocal teaching are
effective strategies for improving learning for EL students in ELA classes.
Teachers need to know how to encourage appropriate cognitive processing tied to
developmental appropriateness. The cognitive process is what makes learning occur, and
teachers need to provide the support to students to know how to learn, coaching them through the
learning process (Mayer, 2008). Teachers should be strategic in their instruction and provide
tasks that connect with students at developmentally appropriate levels. This encompasses an
awareness of the students’ learning styles, the teachers’ instructional styles, student engagement,
and a clear awareness of where students are in their cognitive development (Brown & Cooper,
2011). Developmental appropriateness, when combined with an intentional focus on cognitive
processing during planning and instruction, will lead to higher levels of academic achievement
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 28
for EL students in ELA classes. This will lead to the ability to collect accurate performance data
to measure learning.
Teachers need to be able to collect performance data through formative and summative
assessments. The intention of assessments is to determine what the student has learned. As
Mayer (2008) explains, there are three opportunities for assessment. First, prior to instruction, to
determine what the student may already know. Second, during instruction, to find out what the
student is learning so that ongoing instruction may be adjusted. Finally, after instruction, to
determine what the student learned from the unit. Further, Stiggins (2005) explains that
summative assessment refers to assessments after the learning was intended to occur to
determine if it actually did. In contrast, Stiggins (2005) explains that formative assessment refers
to assessments that take place during learning, and in fact, can be a motivating factor for students
as they see success. Formative assessment also allows the teacher to monitor the effectiveness of
their instruction and adjust accordingly. The assessments provide the data that helps teachers
understand which students are succeeding and which are not, and most importantly, why
(Calderon, et al., 2011). All assessment, or feedback, when done well, can improve learning
outcomes for students, and guide instructional practice (Shute, 2008). For teachers, the collection
of assessment data is just one step in improving instruction for EL students; teachers must know
how to reflect on the date to improve learning.
Metacognitive knowledge. Metacognitive knowledge refers to an individual’s awareness
of the learning process and the cognitive processes involved in learning (Mayer, 2008).
Cognitive processes include remembering relevant information from long-term memory,
understanding and building meaning from information, and carrying out procedures or processes
based on criteria or standards (Mayer, 2008).
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 29
In terms of the EL graduation rate, this process requires that teachers remember how to
collect and reflect on assessment data to inform instruction. For example, a teacher would want
to be familiar with formative and summative assessments, build meaning from the resulting data
as they relate to instructional practices. Doing so will build upon a teacher’s knowledge and skill
set for future lesson planning. Finally, teachers need to be able to form patterns when looking at
individual or group achievement data. This will ultimately result in a change or improvement in
the teacher’s instructional practice.
Teachers need to know how to reflect on their instructional practices by using data to
inform their instruction. Data can be used to guide the instruction, to determine if teacher
performance is leading to student achievement (Datnow, Park, & Kennedy-Lewis, 2012). The
data is useful in that it can be used to measure actual performance against the established
standard of performance (Johnson & Johnson, 1993). Leveraging data analysis through grade-
level meetings or department meetings can help broaden the effect of the reflection practice
(Datnow et al., 2012) and improve instruction across a broader spectrum. Understanding how to
use, analyze and interpret data helps teachers make informed decisions on how to improve
instruction to raise achievement, especially for EL students (Datnow et al., 2012). Clearly,
reflection on data provides value in improving instructional practices for teachers and can lead to
the improvement of achievement for EL students in ELA classes.
Table 2 shows the types of knowledge and the related research that teachers need as they
look to improve instructional practices to meet the needs of EL students in ELA classes. The
Table lists the declarative factual knowledge (knowing ELA content standards), declarative
conceptual knowledge (knowing EL strategies and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy), procedural
knowledge (knowing how to develop student/teacher relationships, utilize reciprocal teaching
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 30
and cooperative learning methods, encourage appropriate cognitive processing, instruct with
developmental appropriateness, and collect data), and metacognitive knowledge (how to use data
to inform instruction).
Table 2
Summary of Assumed Knowledge Influences on Stakeholders’ Ability to Achieve the
Performance Goal
Assumed Knowledge Influences Research Literature
Declarative Factual (terms, facts, concepts)
Stakeholder needs to know...
Teachers need to know ELA content standards.

Teachers need to know what culturally relevant pedagogy is.

Rothman, et. al., 2002
Resnick & Resnick, 1992
Schmoker & Marzano,
1999

Brown-Jeffy & Cooper,
2011
Irvine, 2010
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 31
Declarative Conceptual (categories, process models, principles,
relationships)
Stakeholder needs to know...
Teachers need to know EL strategies, principles and models of
culturally relevant pedagogy.

Teachers need to know learning activities that are similar to the
individual’s cultural settings will enhance learning and transfer.

Teachers need to know the relationship between culturally
relevant pedagogy and student achievement.

Drucker 2003
Miller, 2002
Park, 2014
Yough & Anderman, 2006

Brown-Jeffy & Cooper,
2011
Irvine, 2010
Mayer, 2001
Schute, 2008

Gallimore & Goldenberg,
2001
Brown-Jeffy & Cooper,
2011
Procedural (more physical in nature, action)
Stakeholder needs to know...
Teachers need to know how to develop teacher student
relationships.

Teachers need to know how to utilize reciprocal teaching and
cooperative learning methods and encourage appropriate
cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness.

Teachers need to be able to collect performance data through
formative and summative assessments.

Brown & Cooper, 2011
Mayer, 2008
Diller & Moule, 2005

Mayer, 2011
Nieto, 1999
Gay, 2011

Mayer, 2011
Calderon, et. al. 2011
Shute, 2008
Stiggins, 2005
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 32
Metacognitive (brain, inner, reflective, their own)
Stakeholder needs to know...
Teachers need to know how to reflect on their practice by using
data to inform instruction.

Datnow, et al. 2012
Johnson & Johnson, 1993

Motivation
General theory. Motivation can be observed using three common indicators; choice,
persistence and mental effort (Schunk, Meece, & Pintrich, 2012; Rueda, 2011). Active choice
and persistence is the continuation of a behavior until the goal is obtained and the need is
reduced (Pintrich & Schunk, 1996). Mental effort is the work needed to generate new learning
and knowledge. According to these definitions, teachers may have some deficits in these areas
when looking at instructional practices for EL students. Relying on past practices is leading to a
situation where EL achievement is not being maximized, and EL graduation rates are less than
that of other students.
As it relates to EL achievement, an example of active choice and persistence is when
teachers work to create meaningful relationships with students. The relationship between student
and teacher, which encompasses the concepts of caring, interaction, and positive classroom
atmosphere is highly influential in promoting student learning (Nieto, 1999) and is a result of
purposeful action by the teacher. Another example of active choice is when teachers purposely
integrate culturally relevant pedagogy strategies and principles to help their students access the
content and skills necessary to be successful in ELA classes. Teachers need to employ active
choice and persistence to create the positive classroom atmosphere needed to lead to EL
achievement in ELA classes.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 33
Mental effort occurs when one is using familiar information to solve a problem that
requires new information (Rueda, 2011). As it relates to EL achievement, teachers can use data
to guide the instruction, to determine if their instructional practice is leading to student
achievement (Datnow et al., 2012). The data is useful in that it can be used to measure actual
performance against the established standard of performance (Johnson & Johnson, 1993). The
teacher likely knows the standards, which is familiar information, to solve (improve) student
achievement, using data, which is new information, to determine what needs to be improved,
which is the instructional practice.
Teacher’s specific factors. Teachers need to value the needs of EL students. When
teachers value the needs of EL students, they become invested in meeting the needs of EL
students. Teachers need to have confidence, or self-efficacy, that they have the skills necessary
to teach effectively with EL students. Self-efficacy plays a vital role in building confidence, and
thus, commitment, to achieving a goal, in this case, working with EL students to improve
achievement. Teachers need to feel positive about their ability to persist through barriers and
challenges they may face in working with EL students. When teachers increasingly feel positive
about their ability to persist in spite of barriers and challenges they face in working with EL
students, they become more effective in achieving the organization’s goal.
Value. Value can often change without self-awareness and refers to a learned belief about
the effectiveness or benefits of a task or goal (Pintrich, 1996; Schunk, et al., 2012). In the context
of EL achievement, teachers need to value the needs of their EL students. Intrinsically, teachers
need to value the success of their students regardless of deficits or challenges. Extrinsically,
teachers need to value the success of their students as it relates to the evaluation process and the
overall goal of the organization.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 34
Teachers need to value the needs of EL students. Individuals, including teachers, are
more likely to be highly engaged in a particular task or goal when the task has value to them
(Meece, Anderman, & Anderman, 2006). As individuals judge themselves capable of effective
instructional practices, they will increase how they value the task at hand (Bandura, 1986). Being
capable of effective instructional practices is a result of working to accomplish something
challenging, mastering a new skill to do so (Meece et al., 2006), and developing one’s capacity,
in this case, to improve EL student achievement. As Borgogni, Russo & Latham (2011) explain,
when an employee can create new ideas and solutions and positively impact the organization’s
goal, they are more likely to value the work they do. Intrinsically, to help improve EL
achievement, teachers need to value the success of their students regardless of deficits or
challenges. Extrinsically, teachers need to value the success of their students as it relates to the
evaluation process and the overall goal of the organization. Teachers who are confident in their
capabilities are more likely to enjoy their job and feel committed to the mission. As a result,
when teachers value the needs of EL students, they become invested in meeting the needs of EL
students.
Self-efficacy. In this context, self-efficacy refers to a teacher's confidence in their ability
to complete a task or performance goal, with the belief that they have the ability to make a
difference in the long term (Clark & Estes, 2008; Bandura, 1999). In order to effectively improve
instructional practices to positively impact EL student achievement, self-efficacy is an essential
characteristic for teachers to possess.
Teachers need to have confidence that they have the skills necessary to teach
effectively with EL students. Self-efficacy, or the belief in their capacity, is a top factor in a
person’s commitment to the organization’s goal (Clark & Estes, 2008; Pajares, 2006). One way
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 35
to build capacity, and thus self-efficacy, in teachers working with EL students, is to provide
opportunities for the teacher to observe a mentor, and then teach the lesson to their own students.
The mentor teacher can provide targeted feedback which can be especially powerful in
improving function, especially when it includes details on how to improve (Shute, 2008). In
addition, research shows that, aside from parents, teachers are the most important factor in
student achievement (Eccles, 2004), a factor which should positively influence a teacher’s level
of self-efficacy when combined with improved practice. Finally, a valuable benefit of a teacher’s
own high levels of self-efficacy is the confidence in achieving goals transfers to students, and
positively impacts student motivation, achievement, and relationships with the teacher (Eccles,
2004; Goldenberg & Coleman, 2010). Self-efficacy plays a vital role in building confidence, and
thus, commitment, to achieving a goal, in this case, working with EL students to improve
achievement. With a high-level of self-efficacy in instructional practice, teachers are more likely
to achieve the organization’s goal.
Mood. Referring to mood, Clark and Estes (2008) describe it as an attitude about
pursuing and achieving a goal. In this case, a teacher’s mood about the organizational goal will
affect how they handle the task. If teachers believe the task is not possible, or do not believe it to
be worthwhile, they may form negative feelings that would hinder their ability to improve EL
student achievement.
Teachers need to feel positive about their ability to persist through barriers and
challenges they may face in working with EL students. As the EL population continues to grow,
more and more teachers are realizing they need to instruct effectively (Calderon, Slavin &
Sanchez, 2011). Teachers should recognize that in spite of their best efforts to support ELs, they
will face challenges (Islam & Park, 2015), but their mood will impact their effectiveness.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 36
Effective teaching practices, especially when tied to culturally relevant pedagogy, do not have
room for a teacher to accept failure from a student, but endeavors to take the students from where
they are, to where they need to be (Brown-Jeffy & Cooper, 2011). Mood can be developed
through empowering teachers to develop strategies for achievement (Clark and Estes, 2008),
leading to feelings of personal effectiveness. Mood then is the state of being persistent with
students, pushing through barriers to most effectively implement instructional practices to
improve EL student achievement. When teachers increasingly feel positive about their ability to
persist in spite of barriers and challenges they face in working with EL students, they become
more effective in achieving the organization’s goal.
Table 3 shows the types of motivation and the related research that ELA teachers of EL
students will need as they work to improve EL student achievement to meet the organizational
goal of increasing the graduation rate of EL students.
Table 3
Summary of Assumed Motivation Influences on Stakeholders’ Ability to Achieve the Performance
Goal
Assumed Motivation Influences Research Literature
Value
Teachers need to value the needs of EL students.

Meece, Anderman &
Anderman, 2006
Borgogni, Russo &
Latham, 2011
Samson & Collins,
2012
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 37
Self-Efficacy
Teachers need to have confidence that they have the skills necessary
to teach effectively with EL students.

Eccles, 2004
Pajares, 2006
Borgogni, Russo &
Latham, 2011
Shute, 2008
Clark & Estes, 2008
Brown-Jeffy &
Cooper, 2011
Goldenberg &
Coleman, 2010
Mood
Teachers need to feel positive about their ability to persist through
barriers and challenges they may face in working with EL students
to achieve the organizational goal.

Clark & Estes, 2008
Calderon, Slavin &
Sanchez, 2011
Brown-Jeffy, &
Cooper, 2011

Organization
An important cause of performance gaps occurs when organizations do not support the
individuals in the organization in an effective manner (Clark & Estes, 2008). This can manifest
itself when teachers do not have adequate planning time to create lessons. This can also occur
when teachers do not have opportunities for professional development. Another example of a
lack of support is when teachers do not have enough materials to support EL students. Teachers
may also not feel supported if school procedures do not support their instruction. Finally,
teachers need to be supported in the pursuit of creating positive teacher student relationships.
Resources. Resources refers to the materials that are necessary to achieve a goal. In the
case of teachers, examples would be time, professional development, and materials (Clark &
Estes, 2008). Teachers who are interested in planning new culturally relevant lessons should be
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 38
offered release time by the organization. Teachers who are interested in increasing their
knowledge should be offered the funds to pay for professional development. Teachers who are
interested in materials to meet the needs of EL students should be provided funds to purchase
materials.
Teachers of EL students need release time to plan effective lessons, especially related to
culturally relevant pedagogy. Planning time must be made a priority for schools, and adequate
time must be allotted for it within the school schedule (Thompson, 2004). Studies show that
teachers are asking for more planning time and believe that additional time would be a major
factor in student learning and achievement (Merritt, 2016). In addition to planning time as a
stand-alone activity for teachers, priority must be given planning time that includes collaboration
with colleagues (Olsen, 2010). Goldenberg and Coleman (2010) argue that when teachers
collaborate in a focused and sustained manner, EL achievement increases. Important to note,
planning time that enhances student achievement is more than planning lessons for the following
week, but needs to include long term planning for the semester, for the year, and beyond
(Downey, Steffy, Poston, & English, 2009). Therefore, it seems reasonable to expect that school
leaders provide teachers, especially those of EL students, time for teachers to work together to
improve instructional practices. When schools provide teachers time to plan, the academic
achievement of students increases, and has been shown to be a factor in EL achievement. When
teachers have access to planning time, they are receiving an important resource in helping EL
students achieve.
Teachers need funds for professional development to increase their knowledge.
Professional development for teachers is now only recently moving to the forefront of strategies
meant to improve EL teachers’ instructional capacities and, in this way, improve academic
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 39
achievement for ELs (Tellez & Manthey, 2015). Echevarria, Vogt, and Short (2004) point to
inadequate educator capacity as a major challenge in supporting EL students. Research shows
that teacher preparation programs are not adequately preparing teacher candidates for working
with diverse students (Islam & Park, 2015). Studies indicate that the academic achievement of
EL students is not as high as that of their peers, and is explained, in part, as a result of teachers
not knowing how to teach EL students effectively (Chen, Kyle, & McIntyre, 2008). The
California Department of Education's (1999) own surveys indicate that professional development
for teachers of EL students is significantly lacking. It is recommended that districts implement
opportunities to build EL teacher capacity, so they are better prepared to work with EL students
(Olsen, 2010). Experts agree that professional development should include teachers and
administrators and that the training must have elements of peer and expert coaching, be ongoing,
include hands-on practice, and be easily transferred to the classroom (Calderon, Slavin, &
Sanchez, 2011). Effective professional development has been connected to student learning
(Calderon, et al., 2011). Much research points to a serious lack of focus on EL needs during
teacher preparation and ongoing professional development, which needs to change as the relation
between effective professional development and student achievement has been made clear.
When teachers have access to effective professional development, they are receiving an
important resource in helping EL students achieve.
Teachers need funds to acquire materials to serve EL students. Students in general need
appropriate learning materials. ELs need additional materials in two areas; ELs need
developmentally appropriate texts and curriculum delivered in English and in their native
language (Rumberger & Gandara, 2004). In spite of a desire to help ELs at the state and county
levels, there still exists a general lack of materials and curriculum designed to improve learning
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 40
for ELs (Olsen, 2010). Numerous studies have found that even just an adequate level of materials
makes a significant difference between high EL academic achievement and low EL academic
achievement (Goldenberg & Coleman, 2010). The thoughtful selection of materials provides
teachers the capacity to appropriately support the needs of EL students (Downey et al., 2009).
Many educators agree that the state needs to ensure that teachers of EL students have the
materials needed to support EL students (Rumberger & Gandara, 2004). In most cases, money is
available, but the will to spend is often lacking, and in an era of increased accountability, results
will help create the will (Downey et al., 2009). With a demonstrated relationship between
teachers having adequate instructional materials and curriculum and academic achievement for
EL students, districts should begin to provide the resources necessary. When teachers of EL
students have access to at least an adequate level of materials and curriculum, they are receiving
an important resource in helping EL students achieve.
Policies, Policies, and procedures. Policies, processes and procedures refer to systems
that are put in place in the organization to facilitate the work of the employees (Clark & Estes,
2008). Policies may refer to education code or the school district’s policies. Processes refers to
district process as well as those in place at individual sites. Finally, procedures refer to the
established methods for accomplishing the organization’s tasks.
Teachers need to feel that the school procedures support their instruction. When school
climate is positive, the relationships among the stakeholders is mostly positive and allows the
school to focus on the mission of education students (Hoy & Woolfolk, 1993). In an organization
with highly positive relationships, there is often loyalty, trust, motivation, and commitment
between school leaders and teachers (Hoy & Woolfolk, 1993). As a result, collective efficacy,
the idea that the group has the perception that it has the capability to achieve the organization's
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 41
goals, forms (Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy, 2004; Borgogni, Russo & Latham, 2011). When teachers
feel confident that administration operates in a manner that creates procedures that are supportive
of, and not barriers to, implementing effective instructional practices, they are working within an
environment that supports their ability to help EL students achieve.
Cultural setting. Culture refers to an organization’s core values, goals, beliefs, emotions,
and processes in the context of the school environment (Clark & Estes, 2008). One example is
when a school embodies a climate and culture that nurtures and encourages positive teacher
student relationships.
Teachers need to be part of a culture that aligns with and enhances teacher student
relationships. A quality learning environment is a characteristic of effective schools and includes
a safe and productive atmosphere (Downey et al., 2009). An important aspect of a quality
learning environment is the presence of positive teacher student relationships, especially in an
EL setting. Teachers need to consider that while content is important, they must keep in mind
that students are social and emotional beings, and these two elements can influence learning
(Ambrose, Bridges, Lovett, DiPietro, & Norman, 2010). Thus, the development of teacher
student relationships is a major factor in student learning (Brown-Jeffy, & Cooper, 2011;
Downey, et al., 2009). Students who experience positive teacher student relationships
demonstrate higher levels of effort perseverance in learning, and thus, are more likely to achieve
academically (Lee, 2012). In addition to enhancing learning, positive teacher student
relationships are tied to lowering at-risk factors, such as substance abuse, school dropout,
delinquency, and teen pregnancy (Fowler, Banks, Anhalt, Der, & Kalis, 2008). The research
indicates a significant tie between strong teacher student relationships and academic
achievement, especially as a component of culturally relevant pedagogy in an EL setting. When
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 42
teachers of EL students have created strong teacher student relationships, they are creating a
culture that supports EL students’ success.
Table 4 shows the types of organizational influences and the related research that school
leaders will need to consider building capacity in teachers to increase academic achievement
among EL students and to help close the graduation gap. The table lists resources (funds for
release time, professional development, and materials), Policies, Processes, and Procedures
(support instruction) and Culture (aligns with and enhances teacher student relationships).
Table 4
Summary of Assumed Organization Influences on Stakeholders’ Ability to Achieve the
Performance Goal
Assumed Organization Influences Research Literature
Resources
Teachers need resources to achieve the
organization’s goal.
Teachers need release time to create culturally
relevant lessons.

Teachers need funds for professional
development to increase their knowledge.

Teachers need funds to acquire materials to
serve EL students.

Clark and Estes, 2008

Olsen, 2010
Thompson, 2004
Merritt, 2016
Downey, Steffy, Poston, & English, 2009
Goldenberg & Coleman, 2010

Rumberger & Gandara, 2004
Calderon, Slavin, & Sanchez, 2011

Islam & Park, 2015
Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008
Chen, Kyle, & McIntyre, 2008
California Department of Education, 1999
Olsen, 2010
Tellez & Manthey, 2015
Olsen, 2010
Rumberger & Gandara, 2004
Downey, Steffy, Poston, & English, 2009
Goldenberg & Coleman, 2010

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 43

Policies, Processes, & Procedures
Teachers need to feel that the school policies,
processes, and procedures support their
instruction.
Hoy & Woolfolk, 1993
Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy, 2004
Borgogni, Russo & Latham, 2011

Culture
Teachers need to be part of a culture that aligns
with and enhances positive teacher student
relationships.

Brown-Jeffy & Cooper, 2011
Downey, Steffy, Poston, & English, 2009
Ambrose, Bridges, Lovett, DiPietro, &
Norman, 2010
Fowler, Banks, Anhalt, Der, & Kalis, 2008
Lee, 2012

Summary
The purpose of this literature review was to examine scholarly research that identifies
current thinking in terms of instructional practices that build capacity in teachers and lead to EL
achievement in ELA classrooms, ultimately leading to increased graduation rates for EL
students. Teachers need to be aware of ELA content standards, culturally relevant pedagogy, EL
strategies, how to collect performance data through formative and summative assessments, and
how to reflect on their practice by using the data to inform instruction. Teachers also need to
consider their motivation for EL achievement and how they value EL students, both intrinsically
and extrinsically, their level of self-efficacy in serving EL students, and their ability to persist
through barriers and challenges they may face in working with EL students, and that their
instructional behavior will help achieve the organizational goal. Finally, an awareness of the
types of organizational influences and the related research that school leaders will need to
consider building capacity in teachers to increase academic achievement among EL students and
to help close the graduation gap will be discussed.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 44
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to determine the knowledge,
motivation and organizational barriers to all ELA teachers teaching 100% of the grade level
language arts content with 100% culturally relevant pedagogy required for 100% of students to
pass their course and advance to the next grade level and ultimate graduation. The gap analysis
approach (Clark & Estes, 2008: Rueda, 2011) assisted in the analysis of the challenges and
barriers in knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational culture, determined the causes of
these challenges, and identify and implement solutions that EL teachers can use to help improve
the graduation rate of EL students.
The project was guided by the following questions:

1. What are the knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational barriers to
all ELA teachers teaching 100% of the grade level language arts content with
100% culturally relevant pedagogy 100% of the time?
2. What are the knowledge and skills, motivations, and organizational solutions
such that all ELA teachers will teach 100% of the grade level language arts
content with 100% culturally relevant pedagogy 100% of the time?

Conceptual and Methodological Framework
The framework for the methodology in the study is the Clark and Estes Gap Analysis
(2008; Rueda, 2001). The Gap Analysis is a systematic, analytical method that helps to clarify
organizational goals and identify the gap between the actual performance level and the preferred
performance level within an organization and was implemented as the conceptual framework.
The methodological framework is a mixed methods case study with descriptive statistics.
Assumed knowledge, motivation and organizational influences that interfere with organizational
goal achievement were generated based on personal knowledge and related literature. These
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 45
influences were assessed by using surveys, interviews, and a literature review. Research-based
solutions will be recommended and evaluated in a comprehensive manner as described in
Chapter Five.
This study used an improvement model to conduct a gap analysis to determine the causes
of the barriers present for ELA teachers in successfully building capacity in EL students so that
they graduate at a higher rate, thus closing the graduation rate between EL students and all other
students. The primary focus for the performance gap centered on ELA teachers increasing their
capacity for instruction in an EL setting. The analysis explored three critical factors that must be
examined when analyzing the performance of ELA teachers. In other words, closing the gap
means that our teachers will have the knowledge and skills needed to achieve their performance
goals, that teachers be motivated, and that the organization provides no barriers that prevent our
teachers from achieving the organization’s performance goals. In this study, the Clark and Estes
(2008) framework was used to focus on analyzing the causes for a school not achieving an equal
graduation rate for EL students versus all other students. First, the study examined research
regarding the knowledge influences that an ELA teacher of EL students’ needs. Teachers need to
know how to achieve the goal of equal graduation rates, as well as what skills they possess or
need to acquire. Next, the study examined research regarding motivational influences. Teachers
need to examine their own thought processes regarding working towards the goal of equal
graduation rates, the persistence to reach this goal, and the mental effort they need to expend to
create graduation rate equality. Finally, the study considered the organizational influences that
affect how ELA teachers of EL students improve instruction. Specifically, teachers need to look
at organizational barriers in the form of organizational practice that can hinder or assist in
achieving graduation rate equality.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 46
Figure 1 is a schematic drawing showing the sequence of steps in the Gap Analysis
process. Additionally, the figure displays the cyclical nature of the Gap Analysis process.

Figure 1. Gap Analysis Process. Clark, R. E. & Estes, F. (2008). Turning research into results.

Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

The steps of the Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analysis Process Model are as follows:

Step 1: Goals - Identify the organizational goal.
Step 2: Current Achievement - Determine the current levels of performance with respects
to the identified goal areas.
Step 3: Gaps - Determine gaps between goals and current performance.
Step 4: Causes - Hypothesize causes in knowledge and skills, motivation, and
organizational culture, and empirically validate which of these three is the root cause.
Steps 1, 2 and 3 are addressed in Chapter One. The following steps are discussed in Chapters
Four and Five of the dissertation and are not incorporated into this methodology chapter.
Step 5: Solutions - Plan systemic and individual gap-closing solutions.
Step 6: Implement - Implement systemic and individual gap-closing solutions.
Step 7: Evaluate - Evaluate and modify solutions for continual improvement.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 47
Assessment of Performance Influences
This study used the gap analysis approach to examine the root causes of the graduation
rate gap for EL students versus all other students at Sunset Hills High School. The study focused
on English Language Arts teachers as the stakeholder as they have the largest impact on student
learning. The analysis focused on causes for this problem due to gaps in the area of ELA
teachers’ knowledge and skill, motivation, and organizational resources. This study used both
surveys and interviews to assess teachers’ knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational
resources.
In order to meet the goal of closing the graduation gap for EL students, teachers need to
examine their knowledge and skill. They need to be aware of declarative factual knowledge
(ELA content standards and culturally relevant pedagogy), declarative conceptual knowledge
(knowing EL strategies and culturally relevant pedagogy), procedural knowledge (knowing how
to develop student/teacher relationships, utilize reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning
methods, encourage appropriate cognitive processing, instruct with developmental
appropriateness, and collect data), and metacognitive knowledge (how to use data to inform
instruction).
Teachers also need to be aware of their motivation. There are three types of motivation
that ELA teachers of EL students need as they work to improve EL student achievement to meet
the organizational goal of increasing the graduation rate of EL students. Specifically, this study
looked at teachers’ values (valuing the needs of their EL students), teachers’ self-efficacy (the
confidence that they have the needed skills to teach effectively with EL students), and teachers’
mood (positive feelings about persisting through barriers and challenges).
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 48
Finally, teachers need to be aware of the types of organizational influences and the
related research that school leaders need to consider building capacity in teachers to increase
academic achievement among EL students and to help close the graduation gap. These include
resources (funds for release time, professional development, and materials), policies, processes,
and procedures (support instruction) and culture (aligns with and enhances teacher student
relationships).
Knowledge Assessment
Table 5, derived from the literature review in Chapter Two, lists the assumed knowledge
influences that affect an ELA teacher of EL students.
Declarative Knowledge. Teachers were asked closed-ended items for recall and
recognition of their knowledge. Closed-ended items allowed for a sense of uniformity and
relative ease for scoring and analysis (Fink, 2017). Questions included multiple answer items.
Teachers were given multiple options to answer to provide a clear picture of the organization.
Teachers were also asked open-ended questions so that declarative factual knowledge can be
assessed. Open-ended questions allowed respondents the opportunity to express opinions and
create the ability for the results to be interpreted. Items required teachers to summarize their ELA
content standard knowledge and their knowledge of culturally relevant pedagogy, their
knowledge on developing positive teacher student relationships, and their knowledge of
gathering and reflecting on formative and summative assessment performance data. Summary is
a distillation of key features and components of a report (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001).
Teachers were asked to summarize their declarative factual knowledge as it relates to the ELA
content standards and culturally relevant pedagogy.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 49
Conceptual knowledge. To assess declarative conceptual knowledge closed-ended
questions included single answer multiple choice questions and multiple answer multiple choice
questions. Teachers were also asked open-ended questions in order to allow them to provide
additional information. Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) explain that understanding is best
defined as constructing meaning from instructional messages. In the case of ELA student
achievement, teachers need to know EL strategies and models of culturally relevant pedagogy.
In addition, teachers need to know how to create learning activities that are similar to the
individual’s cultural setting to enhance learning. Finally, teachers need to know the relationship
between culturally relevant pedagogy and EL student achievement.
Procedural knowledge. Application refers to the ability to carry out a procedure in a
given situation (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). In considering EL student achievement, teachers
need to be able to apply strategies to develop teacher student relationships. Teachers also need to
know how to utilize reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning methods and encourage
appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness. Finally, teachers need to be
able to collect performance data through formative and summative assessments. To assess
procedural knowledge, question items considered a teacher's ability to apply the procedural
knowledge to their instructional practices. The procedural knowledge assessment included open-
ended and closed-ended questions. Open-ended questions were used to evaluate the steps that a
teacher would use during classroom instruction and planning. Closed-ended questions used
multiple answer multiple choice questions to assess a teacher’s ability to help EL students
achieve.
Metacognitive knowledge. In order to assess metacognitive knowledge, question items
addressed a teacher’s ability to reflect upon their awareness and knowledge of their own
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 50
cognition. Metacognitive knowledge involves strategic knowledge, knowledge about cognitive
tasks, and self-knowledge (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). In the context of EL instruction,
metacognitive knowledge refers to teachers knowing how to reflect on their practice. In this
study, it specifically refers to the teacher's ability to reflect on using data collected through
formative and summative assessments to inform their practice. To assess metacognitive
knowledge this survey relied on both open-ended and closed-ended questions.
Table 5 shows the types of survey items that were used to assess teachers assumed
knowledge influence. The Table lists both survey and interview items build around declarative
factual, declarative conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge influences.
Table 5
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Method of Assessment
Assumed Knowledge
Influences
Survey Items Interview Items
Declarative Factual (terms,
facts, concepts)
Stakeholder needs to know...
Teachers need to know ELA
content standards.

Teachers need to know what
culturally relevant pedagogy
is.
Select the correct grade 9/10
ELA writing standard:
1. Use vocabulary to
manage the complexity
of the topic.
2. Use language to
manage the complexity
of the topic.
3. Use precise language
and domain-specific
vocabulary to manage
the complexity of the
topic.
4. Use language and
vocabulary to manage
the complexity of the
topic.
5. None of the above

Mark all that apply. Culturally
relevant pedagogy can be

What is your understanding of
culturally relevant pedagogy?

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 51
described as:
1. positive teacher
student relationships.
2. high teacher
expectations for
student learning.
3. only about celebrating
cultural holidays.
4. being aware of and
sensitive to the cultural
experiences and values
of EL students.
5. None of the above.

Declarative Conceptual
(categories, process models,
principles, relationships)
Stakeholder needs to know...
Teachers need to know EL
strategies, principles and
models of culturally relevant
pedagogy.

Teachers need to use learning
activities that are similar to the
individual’s cultural settings
to enhance learning and
transfer.

Teachers need to know the
relationship between culturally
relevant pedagogy and student

Select all that apply:
Culturally relevant pedagogy
includes:
1. scaffolding
2. varied learning tasks
3. access to texts
4. student culture
5. none of the above

Which of the following
enhance learning and
transfer? Check all that apply:
1. Reflection and sharing.
2. Use of a variety of
learning media.
3. Formative
assessments.
4. Collaboration.
5. Using only the
textbook.

The following strategies help
EL students improve
achievement. Select all that
apply.
1. Positive teacher

What are some of the EL
strategies, principles and
models of culturally relevant
pedagogy that you are familiar
with?

In what way do you embed
activities that are similar to
your EL students’ cultural
settings and will enhance
learning and transfer?

What are your thoughts about
the relationship between
culturally relevant pedagogy
and student achievement?
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 52
achievement.

student relationships.
2. reading novels out
loud in class.
3. Engaging in teacher-
parent communication.
4. High expectations for
all students.
5. Most lessons taught
using direct
instruction.

Procedural (more physical in
nature, action)
Stakeholder needs to know...
Teachers need to know how to
develop positive teacher
student relationships.

A first step in developing
teacher student relationships
is:
1. Greeting them at the
door.
2. Creating a profile of
every student in the
class.
3. Having a secret
handshake with each
student.
4. Telling each student
“goodbye” at the end
of class.

Developing positive teacher
student relationships mainly
impacts: (select all that apply)
1. student behavior
2. student achievement
3. classroom atmosphere
4. a student’s penmanship
5. None of the above

A large portion of the class
has trouble understanding the
textbook. An appropriate
learning strategy would be:
1. Copy the chapter in a
notebook.
2. Read the chapter out

What is your comfort level in
developing positive teacher
student relationships?

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 53

Teachers need to know how to
utilize reciprocal teaching and
cooperative learning methods
and encourage appropriate
cognitive processing and
developmental
appropriateness.

Teachers need to be able to
collect performance data
through formative and
summative assessments.

loud.
3. Divide the class into
groups, they
summarize a portion of
the chapter and then
share with the class.
4. Read the chapter
silently at home.
5. For homework, answer
the question at the end
of the chapter.

To encourage appropriate
cognitive processing and
developmental
appropriateness during
instruction, I could: (mark all
that apply)
1. Scaffold the writing
process.
2. Differentiate
instruction.
3. Assign college level
novels.
4. Model writing skills.
5. None of the above.

To collect formative
assessment data, I could:
(mark all that apply)
1. Students read a chapter
from the text.
2. Have students compare
and contrast a topic
using a Venn diagram.
3. Have students
complete a short quiz.
4. Thumbs up or down
after teacher asks a
question.
5. None of the above.

To collect summative
assessment data, I could:
(mark all that apply)
1. Review state-mandated

In what ways do you utilize
reciprocal teaching and
cooperative learning methods
with EL students?
How do you encourage
appropriate cognitive
processing and developmental
appropriateness?

What are the methods you use
to collect performance data?

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 54

exam scores.
2. Cold call on students.
3. Assign end-of-unit or -
chapter tests.
4. Review district
benchmark assessment
scores.
5. None of the above.

Motivation Assessment
Table 6 is derived from the literature review in Chapter Two and lists the assumed
motivation influences that affect teachers and their ability to support EL achievement in ELA
classes.
Value. To assess value, question items addressed ELA teachers of EL students’ values
and the effect of these values on instructional practices. Teachers need to value the needs of EL
students. When teachers value the needs of EL students, they become invested in meeting the
needs of EL students. Teachers need to have confidence, or self-efficacy, that they have the skills
necessary to effectively teach EL students. Self-efficacy plays a vital role in building confidence,
and thus, commitment, to achieving a goal, in this case, working with EL students to improve
achievement. Teachers need to feel positive about their ability to persist through barriers and
challenges they may face in working with EL students. When teachers increasingly feel positive
about their ability to persist in spite of barriers and challenges they face in working with EL
students, they become more effective in achieving the organization’s goal. To assess value, this
survey relied on both open-ended and closed-ended questions. Open-ended questions were used
to encourage teachers to think about how they value the needs of EL students.
Self-efficacy. In this context, self-efficacy refers to a teacher's confidence in their ability
to complete a task or performance goal, with the belief that they have the ability to make a
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 55
difference in the long term (Clark & Estes, 2008; Bandura, 1999). In order to effectively improve
instructional practices to positively impact EL student achievement, self-efficacy is an essential
characteristic for teachers to possess. Self-efficacy plays a vital role in building confidence, and
thus, commitment, to achieving a goal, in this case, working with EL students to improve
achievement. With a high-level of self-efficacy in instructional practice, teachers are more likely
to achieve the organization’s goal. In order to assess value this survey relied on both open-ended
and closed-ended questions.
Mood. Mood is an attitude about pursuing and achieving a goal (Clark & Estes, 2008). In
this context, a teacher’s mood about the organizational goal will affect how they handle the task.
If teachers believe the task is not possible, or do not believe it to be worthwhile, they could form
negative feelings that would hinder their ability to improve EL student achievement. Mood is the
state of being persistent with students, in this context, pushing through barriers to most
effectively implement instructional practices to improve EL student achievement. When teachers
increasingly feel positive about their ability to persist in spite of barriers and challenges they face
in working with EL students, they become more effective in achieving the organization’s goal. In
order to assess mood, this survey relied on both open-ended and closed-ended questions.
Table 6 shows the types of survey items that were used to assess teacher’s motivational
influences that ELA teachers of EL students need as they work to improve EL student
achievement to meet the organizational goal of increasing the graduation rate of EL students.
The Table lists both survey and interview items built around value, self-efficacy, and mood.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 56
Table 6
Summary of Motivation Influences and Method of Assessment
Assumed Motivation
Influences
Survey Items Interview Items
Value
Teachers need to value the
instructional needs of EL
students.

When all of your teacher
responsibilities are
considered, please indicate to
what degree you value the
needs of your EL students.
1. Highly value.
2. Value.
3. Neither value nor no
value.
4. No value.
5. Highly no value.

Self-Efficacy
Teachers need to have
confidence that they have
the skills necessary to teach
effectively with EL students.

I am confident that I can
teach EL students effectively.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.

Describe your confidence
levels in terms of your skills
needed to teach EL students
effectively.
Mood
Teachers need to feel
positive about their ability to
persist through barriers and
challenges they may face in
working with EL students to
achieve the organizational
Overall, I am satisfied with
my job as a teacher.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 57
goal.

I feel personally and
professionally fulfilled as a
teacher.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.

I feel positive about my
ability to persist through
barriers and challenges I may
face in working with EL
students to achieve the
organizational goal.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.

Describe your feelings
towards your ability to persist
through barriers and
challenges you may face in
working with EL students to
achieve the organizational
goal.
In what ways do you or do
you not feel positive about
your ability to persist through
barriers and challenges you
may face in working with EL
students to achieve the
organizational goal?

Organization/Culture/Context Assessment
Table 7 is derived from the literature review in Chapter Two and lists the assumed
organizational influences that affect ELA teachers of EL students as they work to improve EL
student achievement to meet the organizational goal of increasing the graduation rate of EL
students.
Resources. In order to assess organizational barriers, question items addressed a
teacher’s access to resources. Organizational resources include access to funding, staffing, and
physical space (Clark & Estes, 2008). In the case of teachers, examples would be time,
professional development, and materials. Teachers who are interested in planning new culturally
relevant lessons would be offered release time by the organization. Teachers who are interested
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 58
in increasing their knowledge would be offered the funds to pay for professional development.
Teachers who are interested in materials to meet the needs of EL students, would be provided
funds to purchase materials. In order to asses this, open-ended questions prompted teachers to
elaborate on and discuss their level of access to needed resources. Multiple choice and multiple
answer questions were utilized on the survey portion.
Policies, Process, & Procedures. Policies, processes, and procedures refers to systems
that are put in place in the organization to facilitate the work of the employees (Clark & Estes,
2008). In the context of this study, policies may refer to education code or the school district’s
policies. Processes refers to district process as well as those in place at individual sites. Finally,
procedures refer to the established methods for accomplishing the organization’s tasks. When
teachers feel confident that administration operates in a manner that creates, policies, processes,
and procedures that are supportive of, and not barriers to, implementing effective instructional
practices, they are working within an environment that supports their ability to help EL students
achieve. In order to asses this, open-ended items were asked to prompt teachers to elaborate on
and discuss their level of beliefs that policies, processes, and procedures are in place that
facilitate and support their instructional practice. Multiple choice and multiple answer questions
were utilized on the survey portion.
Culture. Culture refers to an organization’s core values, goals, beliefs, emotions, and
processes in the context of the school environment (Clark & Estes, 2008). One example is when
a school embodies a climate and culture that nurtures and encourages positive teacher student
relationships. When teachers of EL students have created strong teacher student relationships,
they are creating a culture that supports EL students’ success. In order to asses this, open-ended
items were asked to prompt teachers to elaborate on and discuss their level of beliefs that the
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 59
school culture is supportive of positive teacher student relationships. Multiple choice and
multiple answer questions were utilized on the survey portion.
Table 7 shows the types of survey and interview items that were used to assess teachers
organizational barriers. The Table lists both survey and interview items built around resources,
policies, processes, and procedures.
Table 7
Summary of Organization Influences and Method of Assessment
Assumed Organization
Influences
Survey Items Interview Items
Resources
Teachers need resources
to achieve the
organization’s goal.
Teachers need release
time to create culturally
relevant lessons.

In general, I have the resources
I need to create to help me teach
ELA content to my EL students.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.

I currently have the release time
I need to create culturally
relevant lessons to help me
teach ELA content to my EL
students.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.

Describe the resources you
have that facilitate learning
for your EL students.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 60
Teachers need funds for
professional development
to increase their
knowledge.

Teachers need funds to
acquire materials to serve
EL students.

I have funds to engage in
professional development to
help me teach ELA content to
my EL students.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.

I have all the textbooks,
supplemental instructional
materials, and supplies that I
need to successfully teach ELA
content to my EL students.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.

If you have release time to
create culturally relevant
lessons, describe how it is
structured. If you do not, how
would you structure it?
Describe the professional
development opportunities
you have participated in
regarding EL students.
In what areas of working with
EL students would you like to
receive professional
development?

Describe the textbooks,
supplemental instructional
materials, and supplies that
assist you in teaching ELA
content to your EL students.

What additional items would
be helpful?

Policies, Processes, &
Procedures
Teachers need to feel that
the school and district
policies, processes and
procedures support their
instruction.

I am familiar with the school
policies, processes and
procedures that relate to the
implementation of EL
instructional practices.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.

I am familiar with the district
policies, processes and

In what ways do you or do
you not feel that the school
and district procedures
support your instruction of EL
students?

What additional school or
district policies, processes and
procedures that relate to EL
instructional practices would
you like to see implemented?

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 61
procedures that relate to the
implementation of EL
instructional practices.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.

I believe the school policies,
processes and procedures
support the implementation of
effective EL instructional
practices.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.

What additional school or
district policies, processes and
procedures that relate to EL
instructional practices would
you like to see implemented?

Culture
Teachers need to be part
of a culture that aligns
with and enhances
positive teacher student
relationships.

The culture of my school aligns
with and enhances positive
teacher student relationships.
1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor
disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.

Describe the ways in which
the culture of your school
aligns with and enhances
positive teacher student
relationships.

In what ways do you develop
positive teacher student
relationships?

In what ways could your
school improve its culture to
increase positive teacher
student relationships?

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 62
Participating Stakeholders and Sample Selection
The stakeholder group of focus for this this paper will be ELA teachers of EL students.
More specifically, the survey population included all 24 ELA teachers employed and working at
SHHS who have EL students in their classes during the 2017/18 school year. The interview
population consisted of no less than 5 ELA teachers employed and working at SHHS who have
EL students in their classes during the 2017/18 school year. By focusing on ELA teachers of EL
students at SHHS, the size of the study will remain manageable
Sampling
All 18 of the ELA teachers with EL students were invited to participate in the survey.
Five ELA teachers with EL students were invited to participate in the interview via email
between October 10th, 2017 and October 24th, 2017.
Recruitment
For the purpose of this study, the researcher sent an email invitation directly to the
participant pool for both the survey and interview portions. The participants completed the
survey online using a Google Form. The participants completed the interview in a face-to-face
setting.
Instrumentation
Following is a description of the data collection instruments are Institutional Review
Board (IRB) approved. One instrument used for this study was a Google form sent to
participants. Survey items were built from the Tables listed above in Chapter Three. The second
instrument used for this study were face-to-face semi-structured interview protocol.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 63
Survey Design
A survey was developed to validate the assumed causes derived from the lists in Tables 5,
6, and 7. Twenty-six items were developed based on a five-response Likert scale. Some items are
based on (a) strongly agree; (b) agree; (c) neither agree nor disagree; (d) disagree; (e) strongly
disagree. Other items were based on a multiple-choice format. No identification of the survey
respondents was collected. The Google survey instrument will maintain confidentiality.
Interview Protocol Design
Derived from the Twenty-four items from the Tables listed in Chapter 3, interview
questions were developed. Following the interview protocol design, the interviews started with a
standard set of questions (see Appendix C), with other topics explored at the interviewer’s
discretion to allow for deeper probing. Interview participants are all district employees over the
age of eighteen. The interviews were conducted in person by a single interviewer, were recorded,
and were transcribed. All interview materials are stored in a secured location. No identification
of the survey respondents was collected, with the Google survey instrument maintaining
confidentiality. Data were backed up and saved on a computer that is password protected.
Interview notes were locked up in a secure location.
Data Collection
Following University of Southern California Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval,
participants were solicited by email invitation.
Surveys
The survey was delivered by email in December 2017. The survey response window was
open for two weeks, with a reminder on the 7th day and the 13th day. Data was collected and
backed up and saved on a computer that is password protected.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 64
Interviews
The interviews were approximately 45 minutes, and took place in the teacher’s
classroom, both during the school day and after school, and were face to face. The researcher
requested that the interview be recorded to ensure accuracy and conducted the interview
personally with no proxy.
Data Analysis
For surveys, descriptive statistics were used to determine the basic features of the data,
including mean and standard deviation. To validate the assumed influences, quantitative data
were triangulated using the interview data to reach a deeper understanding of the survey results.
Interview data assisted in validating the assumed influences utilizing member checking,
providing participants an opportunity to give feedback on the findings (Creswell, 2014).
For interviews, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The
transcripts were coded to represent the areas of knowledge and skills, motivation, and
organization. Interviews assisted as a form of methodological triangulation (Patton, 2002),
adding depth to the quantitative data and helped to validate the assumed causes. Saturation was
achieved when subsequent interviews no longer revealed new information (Creswell, 2014).
Trustworthiness of Data
In order to maintain the credibility and trustworthiness of this study, no identification of
the survey respondents was collected, with the Google survey instrument maintaining
confidentiality. Data was backed up and saved on a computer that is password protected.
Interview notes were locked up in a secure location.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 65
Role of Investigator
The investigator in this study is the author of this study. As such, the investigator was
tasked with ensuring that all aspects of IRB are adhered to in order to protect the validity of the
study and protect the confidentiality of the participants.
Limitations
The limitations of this study were the size of the study, the longitudinal effects of the
study, limited access, and cultural or other biases. The study was comprised of self-selected ELA
teachers who had EL students in their classes at Sunset Hills High School. Due to the nature of
the study, looking at potential biases of teachers, there was a possibility that respondents may not
be entirely forthcoming with information, though measures to evoke trustworthiness have been
built into survey. Finally, there were relational limitations. Some teachers at Sunset Hills High
School did not elect to be part of the study and may not participate in subsequent trainings which
may be developed from the study.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 66
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND FINDINGS
The purpose of this chapter is to report the findings from data collected related to the
knowledge, motivation and organizational barriers to all ELA teachers teaching 100% of the
grade level language arts content with 100% culturally relevant pedagogy required for 100% of
students to pass their course and advance to the next grade level and ultimate graduation. The
gap analysis approach (Clark & Estes, 2008; Rueda, 2011) will assist in the analysis of the
challenges and barriers in knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational culture. Based
upon a review of the literature, a list was generated of possible causes for not all ELA teachers
teaching 100% of the grade level language arts content with 100% culturally relevant pedagogy
required for 100% of students to pass their course and advance to the next grade level and
ultimate graduation. A total of eighteen possible causes were developed and were categorized
into the following three categories: knowledge, motivation, and organization.
Multiple sources of quantitative and qualitative data were collected to validate the
assumed causes. Specifically, survey and interview data were collected to understand the
knowledge, motivation, and organization challenges teachers encounter. Data were collected in
this order: surveys first and interviews second. The rationale was that the survey was broad and
would provide a large amount of data to work with while the interviews would involve a smaller
number of participants and would take some time to set up and conduct. All of the data collection
took place in December, 2017.
Participating Stakeholders
The stakeholders for this study were twenty-three English Language Arts teachers from
Sunset Hills High School, grades 9-12, who had at least one designated EL student in their class.
Fourteen were female (60.9%), nine were male (39.1%), and all have earned master's degrees.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 67
The average age was 39.1 years, with the youngest aged 24 years, and the oldest aged 52 years.
The average years in teaching experience was 13.9, with the shortest at 1 year, and the longest at
27 years. Three teachers had served for 1-6 years, eight had served from 7-12 years, five had
served 13-18 years, six had served for 19-25 years, and one had served for 26 years or more.
Twenty-three surveys were distributed, with 15 completed, representing a 65% return
rate. In addition to the quantitative survey, 4 SHHS teachers were interviewed to gain a more in-
depth understanding of the perceived causes for the gaps in knowledge and skills, motivation,
and organization culture.
Data Validation
This study utilized two sources of data: surveys and interviews. In order to validate the
assumed causes, quantitative data were collected using a survey. Chapter Three contains a
discussion of assumed causes and a description of the survey. The survey results provided data to
validate the assumed knowledge, motivation, and organization influences. The criteria used to
validate the presence of a gap were as follows. For survey items where participants were asked to
“mark all that apply,” results less than 85% choosing the correct answer indicated a gap. For
survey items where participants were asked to select the “best answer,” results less than 80%
correct indicated a gap. Lastly, for survey items where participants were asked to “select the best
answer,” mean results on a Likert Scale of less than 70% correct indicated a gap.
In the results, there were several occurrences where a gap appeared in either the survey
evidence or the interview evidence. In these few cases, the evidence that appeared most
compelling determined whether the assumed cause was validated or not. The idea of compelling
evidence was used to determine if the survey results or the interview results showed a need to
address an influence. For example, the survey data might not validate an influence as a gap, but
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 68
the interviews may indicate that there appeared to be a gap, and therefore, because the interviews
showed that the participants did not know, or value, or have the needed organizational
influences, the influence was validated and determined to be a gap to better serve the EL students
at Sunset Hills High School.
Results and Findings for Knowledge Causes
This section will explore the results and findings for knowledge causes. In Chapter Three,
the assumed causes for the performance gap were described. The assumed causes of the
knowledge gaps were broken down into three categories: factual, procedural, and metacognitive
(Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). In order to meet the goal of closing the graduation gap for EL
students, teachers need to examine their knowledge and skill. They need to be aware of
declarative factual knowledge (ELA content standards and culturally relevant pedagogy),
declarative conceptual knowledge (knowing EL strategies and culturally relevant pedagogy),
procedural knowledge (knowing how to develop student/teacher relationships, utilize reciprocal
teaching and cooperative learning methods, encourage appropriate cognitive processing, instruct
with developmental appropriateness, and collect data), and metacognitive knowledge (how to use
data to inform instruction).
Factual Knowledge
Influence 1. The first assumed influence item, which is declarative factual, is “Teachers
do not know ELA content standards.”
Survey results. Teachers were given five choices to the prompt “Select the correct grade
9/10 ELA writing standard,” including “None of the above.” A total of 83.3% responded with the
correct ELA standard, while 16.7% responded incorrectly. The high percentage that responded
correctly suggests that teachers do know the ELA standards. Overall, the results for the correct
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 69
answer were above the 80% threshold for questions that asked respondents to “select the best
answer.” Table 8 displays the multiple-choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s
answers represented as a percentage.
Table 8
Survey Results for Factual Knowledge Item #1

#1 Factual Knowledge Item % Count
Select the correct grade 9/10 ELA writing standard:
1 Use vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic. 0% 0
2 Use language to manage the complexity of the topic. 0% 0
3*
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to
manage the complexity of the topic.
83.3% 20
4
Use language and vocabulary to manage the complexity of the
topic.
16.7% 4
5 None of the above 0% 0
Total 100% 24
*denotes correct answer

Interview findings. Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 70
Summary. Because of the high number of correct responses, and because the survey
represents the only evidence for this influence, this assumed influence item should not be
considered a factual knowledge gap. The data indicates that teachers do have a complete
understanding of how to utilize reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning methods, and how
to encourage appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness.
Influence 2. The second assumed influence item, which is declarative factual, is
“Teachers do not know what culturally relevant pedagogy is.”
Survey results. Teachers were given five choices to the prompt “Culturally relevant
pedagogy can be described as” and instructed to mark all choices that apply, including “None of
the above.” A total of 100% of the teachers responded correctly that “Being aware of and
sensitive to the cultural experiences and values of EL students” is an element of culturally
relevant pedagogy, which indicates that teachers are aware this aspect of culturally relevant
pedagogy. In contrast, a total of 50% of the teachers responded correctly that “Positive student
relationships” and “High teacher expectations for student learning” are also elements of
culturally relevant pedagogy, which indicates that not all teachers are not completely aware of
what culturally relevant pedagogy is. Finally, 100% of the teachers responded correctly that
culturally relevant pedagogy is not “Only about celebrating cultural holidays,” which indicates
that all teachers are aware of this. Overall, the results showed an 80% correct answer average,
which was below the 85% threshold for questions that asked respondents to “mark all that
apply.” In addition, the interview findings described below provide additional evidence to
support that this influence item does represent a factual knowledge gap. Therefore, this assumed
influence item should be considered a declarative knowledge gap and indicates that teachers do
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 71
not have a complete understanding of what culturally relevant pedagogy is. Table 9 displays the
multiple-choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s answers represented as a percentage.
Table 9
Survey Results for Factual Knowledge Item #2
#2 Factual Knowledge Item % Count
Mark all that apply. Culturally relevant pedagogy can be
described as:

1* positive teacher student relationships. 50% 12
2* high teacher expectations for student learning. 50% 12
3 only about celebrating cultural holidays. 0% 0
4* being aware of and sensitive to the cultural experiences and
values of EL students.
100% 24
5 None of the above 0% 0
Total Avg. 80% NA
*denotes correct answer

Interview findings. There was a variety of understanding among the interviewed
participants regarding their factual knowledge of what culturally relevant pedagogy is. One
participant noted “culturally relevant pedagogy is important in all classes, but especially EL
classes.” Another participant agreed by stating that “EL classes can be very diverse, and
understanding cultural norms is huge, and can really help build relationships.” In addition, a
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 72
participant noted that it is “critical to give students choice, encourage them to bring in their
knowledge, their background, bring in their culture, which can really help with student buy-in.”
However, all participants agreed that they “don’t always feel confident that I know how to build
lessons and activities that fully reflect culturally relevant pedagogy.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the low overall percentage of less than 85% correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item should be considered a factual knowledge gap
and indicates that teachers do not have a complete understanding of what culturally relevant
pedagogy is. In addition, the ELA teacher interview participants demonstrated this assumed
influence item should be considered a declarative knowledge gap and indicates that teachers do
not have a complete understanding of what culturally relevant pedagogy is. Thus, the teacher
factual knowledge gap was validated.
Conceptual Knowledge
Influence 1. The third assumed influence item, which is declarative conceptual, is
“Teachers do not know EL strategies, principles and models of culturally relevant pedagogy.”
Survey results. Teachers were given five choices to the prompt “Culturally relevant
pedagogy includes” and instructed to mark all choices that apply, including “None of the above.”
All other answers are considered correct. A total of 100% of the teachers responded correctly
that “Access to texts” and “Student culture” are elements of culturally relevant pedagogy, which
indicates that teachers are aware of this aspect of culturally relevant pedagogy. In addition, a
total of 83.3% of the teachers responded correctly that “Scaffolding” and “Varied learning tasks”
are elements of culturally relevant pedagogy, which indicates that most teachers are aware of this
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 73
aspect of culturally relevant pedagogy. Finally, 100% of the teachers responded correctly and did
not select culturally relevant pedagogy is “None of the above,” which indicates all teachers knew
that at least some of the choices related to culturally relevant pedagogy. Overall, the results
showed an 93.32% correct answer average, which was above the 85% threshold for questions
that asked respondents to “mark all that apply.” Table 10 displays the multiple-choice portion of
the survey with the respondent’s answers represented as a percentage.
Table 10
Survey Results for Factual Knowledge Item #3

#3 Factual Knowledge Item % Count
Select all that apply: Culturally relevant pedagogy
includes:

1* scaffolding 83.3% 20
2* varied learning tasks 83.3% 20
3* access to texts 100% 24
4* student culture 100% 24
5 none of the above 0% 0
Total Avg. 93.32% NA
*denotes correct answer

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their factual knowledge of what EL strategies and principles are. One participant noted
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 74
that “designated EL classes have specific textbooks geared towards EL students. The textbook
has strategies embedded that support EL needs and contain stories and lessons that are culturally
relevant.” Another participant noted that they like to “bring in open ended responses, low-risk
ways to bring in their background and relate it to the content.” In addition, several teachers
commented that “the credential programs do not prepare us enough for working with EL
students” and that “one class in our credential program is not enough to build pedagogy for
teaching ELs.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall percentage of 85% or more correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a conceptual
knowledge gap and indicates that teachers do have an understanding of EL strategies and
principles. In addition, the ELA teacher interview participants demonstrated this assumed
influence item should be not considered a declarative knowledge gap and indicates that teachers
have an understanding of EL strategies and principles. Thus, the teacher factual knowledge gap
was not validated.
Influence 2. The fourth assumed influence item, which is declarative conceptual, is
“Teachers do not use learning activities that are similar to the individual’s cultural settings to
enhance learning and transfer.”
Survey results. Teachers were given five choices to the prompt “Which of the following
enhance learning and transfer” and instructed to mark all choices that apply. Four of the five
choices are considered correct answers, and one is considered incorrect. A total of 100% of the
teachers responded correctly that “Reflection and sharing,” “Use of a variety of learning media,”
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 75
and “Collaboration” are activities that are similar to a cultural setting that enhance learning and
transfer, which indicates that teachers are aware of this aspect of culturally relevant pedagogy. In
addition, a total of 83.3% of the teachers responded correctly that “Formative assessments” are
activities that can also be similar to the individual’s cultural settings to enhance learning and
transfer, which indicates that most teachers are aware of this aspect of culturally relevant
pedagogy. Finally, 100% of the teachers did not select “Using only the textbook,” which
indicates all teachers knew this was not an activity that would enhance learning and transfer.
Overall, the results showed an 96.66% correct answer average, which was above the 85%
threshold for questions that asked respondents to “mark all that apply.” Table 11 displays the
multiple-choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s answers represented as a percentage.
Table 11
Survey Results for Declarative Conceptual Knowledge Item #4

#4 Declarative Conceptual Knowledge Item % Count
Which of the following enhance learning and transfer? Check
all that apply:

1* Reflection and sharing. 100% 24
2* Use of a variety of learning media. 100% 24
3* Formative assessments. 83.3% 20
4* Collaboration. 100% 24
5 Using only the textbook. 0% 0
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 76
Total Avg. 96.66 NA
*denotes correct answer

Interview findings. There was general agreement between the interviewed participant’s
declarative knowledge regarding learning activities that are similar to a student’s cultural setting
to enhance learning and transfer. One participant explained that “prior to starting a new book or
unit, I have the students start to connect their background to the main themes of the book or
unit.” Another participant noted that “all the learning can’t be from the book, but we have to
bring in videos, music, the use of computers, and a variety of methods for the students to interact
with the content.” Several participants shared that “the textbook does provide us with lots of EL
friendly lessons and activities, I want to move away from relying on the text too much. We need
to bring in more collaboration, more chances for the students to work together.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high percentage of 85% or more correct participant
responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a conceptual knowledge gap
and indicates that teachers do have a high understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy as it
relates to learning and transfer. In addition, the ELA teacher interview participants demonstrated
this assumed influence item should not be considered a declarative knowledge gap and indicates
that teachers do utilize the full range of learning activities available to enhance EL learning and
transfer. Thus, the teacher conceptual knowledge gap was not validated.
Influence 3. The fifth assumed influence item, which is declarative conceptual, is
“Teachers do not know the relationship between culturally relevant pedagogy and student
achievement.”
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 77
Survey results. Teachers were given five choices to the prompt “The following strategies
help EL students improve achievement” and instructed to mark all choices that apply. Four of the
five choices are considered correct answers, and one are considered incorrect. A total of 100% of
the teachers responded correctly that “Positive teacher student relationships” and “High
expectations for all students” are elements of culturally relevant pedagogy that help EL students
improve achievement which indicates that teachers are aware of this relationship between
culturally relevant pedagogy and student achievement. In addition, a total of 66.7% of the
teachers did not include that “Reading novels out loud in class” and “Engaging in teacher-parent
communication” are activities that are elements of culturally relevant pedagogy that help EL
students improve achievement, which indicates that some teachers are aware that these are not
elements of culturally relevant pedagogy. Finally, 100% of the teachers did not select “Most
lessons taught using direct instruction,” which indicates all teachers knew this was not an activity
that would enhance learning and transfer. Overall, the results showed an 86.68% correct answer
average, which was above the 85% threshold for questions that asked respondents to “mark all
that apply.” Table 12 displays the multiple-choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s
answers represented as a percentage.
Table 12
Survey Results for Declarative Conceptual Knowledge Item #5

#5 Declarative Conceptual Knowledge Item % Count
The following strategies help EL students improve achievement.
Select all that apply.

1* Positive teacher student relationships. 100% 24
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 78
2* Reading novels out loud in class. 66.7% 16
3* Engaging in teacher-parent communication. 66.7% 16
4* High expectations for all students. 100% 24
5 Most lessons taught using direct instruction. 0% 0
Total Avg. 86.68 NA
*denotes correct answer

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their declarative knowledge regarding their understanding the relationship between
culturally relevant pedagogy and student achievement. In general, all participants agreed that
“culturally relevant pedagogy and student achievement go hand in hand. It is also not just for an
EL class. All students can benefit from culturally relevant pedagogy.” Another participant stated
that “achievement is linked to being comfortable in class. Learning is about making mistakes and
getting better.” In addition, a participant explained that “being safe and comfortable occurs when
their culture is a part of the classroom. They can suffer in silence if they are afraid to answer
questions and participate.” Further, a participant commented that “teachable moments occur only
when kids feel safe and comfortable.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall percentage of 85% or more correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a conceptual
knowledge gap and indicates that teachers do have an adequate understanding of culturally
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 79
relevant pedagogy as it relates to EL student achievement. In addition, the ELA teacher interview
participants demonstrated this assumed influence item should be not be considered a declarative
knowledge gap and indicates that teachers do understand the relationship between culturally
relevant pedagogy and student achievement. Thus, the teacher conceptual knowledge gap was
not validated.
Procedural Knowledge
Influence 1. The sixth assumed influence item, which is procedural, is “Teachers do not
know how to develop positive teacher student relationships.”
Survey results. Teachers were given four choices to the prompt “A first step in
developing teacher student relationships is” and while all could be considered strategies for
developing relationships with students, only one can qualify as a true first step. A total of 66.7%
responded correctly that “Greeting them at the door” would be a first step in developing teacher
student relationships, which indicates that some teachers are aware of a best first option for
developing teacher student relationships. A total of 100% of the teachers correctly did not
include that “Having a secret handshake with each student” would be considered a first step in
developing teacher student relationships, which indicates that teachers are aware that secret
handshakes are not the best first option for developing teacher student relationships. In contrast,
a total of 16.7% of the teachers responded that “Creating a profile of every student in the class”
and “Telling each student ‘goodbye’ at the end of class” would be considered first steps in
developing teacher student relationships, which indicates that a small number of teachers are not
sure of the best first possible step from the options. It should be noted that the response “Creating
a profile of every student in the class” could be considered a best first step, however it would be
more likely that this would be conducted with students during the first few weeks of class, and
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 80
thus would not be a first step. Overall, the results showed an 100% correct answer average,
which was above the 85% threshold for questions that asked respondents to “mark all that
apply.” Table 13 displays the multiple-choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s
answers represented as a percentage.
Table 13
Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #6

#6 Procedural Knowledge Item % Count
A first step in developing teacher student relationships is:
1* Greeting them at the door. 66.7% 16
2 Creating a profile of every student in the class. 16.7% 4
3 Having a secret handshake with each student. 0% 0
4 Telling each student “goodbye” at the end of class. 16.7% 4
Total 100% 24
*denotes correct answer

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their procedural knowledge in terms of their comfort level in developing positive
teacher student relationships. One participant noted that they “feel very comfortable. It is one of
my strengths. Another explained that they are “for the most part, very comfortable. I have a
concern as I get older, it will be harder to connect with the students.” In addition, one participant
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 81
declared that they teach students, not content. Positive relations lead to achievement.” Lastly, all
interviewed participants felt that the “ELA department is particularly capable in connecting with
students” and noted that “we have strong reputation on campus as very student centered.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, in spite of the low overall percentage of less than 85% correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a procedural
knowledge gap although it indicates that, as far as the survey is concerned, teachers do not have
a high understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy as it relates to learning and transfer.
However, the ELA teacher interview participants demonstrated compelling evidence that this
assumed influence item should not be considered a declarative knowledge gap and indicates that
teachers do have a high comfort level in developing positive teacher student relationships. Thus,
the teacher procedural knowledge gap was not validated.
Influence 2. The seventh assumed influence item, which is procedural, is “Teachers do
not know how to develop positive teacher student relationships.”
Survey results. Teachers were given five choices to the prompt “Developing positive
teacher student relationships mainly impacts” and instructed to mark all choices that apply. Three
of the five choices are considered correct answers, and two are considered incorrect. A total of
80% responded correctly that “Student behavior” and “Student achievement” are impacted by
positive teacher student relationships, which indicates that teachers are aware of this aspect of
positive teacher student relationships. In addition, 100% of the teachers responded correctly that
positive teacher student relationships impact “Classroom atmosphere” which indicates that all
teachers understand the connection between teacher student relationships and classroom
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 82
atmosphere. Also, 100% of the teachers responded correctly and did not select “A student’s
penmanship” would be impacted by positive teacher student relationships which indicates that a
skill such as penmanship is not likely to be impacted. Also, 100% of the teachers did not select
“None of the above” which indicates that teachers are aware that some of the possible answers
do relate to positive student relationships. Overall, the results showed an 92% correct answer
average, which was above the 85% threshold for questions that asked respondents to “mark all
that apply.” Table 14 displays the multiple-choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s
answers represented as a percentage.
Table 14
Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #7

#7 Procedural Knowledge Item % Count
Developing positive teacher student relationships mainly impacts:
(select all that apply)

1* student behavior 80% 19
2* student achievement 80% 19
3* classroom atmosphere 100% 24
4 a student’s penmanship 0% 0
5 none of the above 0% 0
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 83
Total Avg.

92% NA
*denotes correct answer

Interview findings. Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall percentage of 85% or more correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a procedural
knowledge gap and indicates that teachers do have a complete understanding of how to develop
positive teacher student relationships and its relationship to student behavior and student
achievement. Thus, the teacher procedural knowledge gap was not validated.
Influence 3. The eighth assumed influence item, which is procedural, is “Teachers do not
know how to utilize reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning methods and encourage
appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness.”
Survey results. Teachers were given five choices to the prompt “A large portion of the
class has trouble understanding the textbook: an appropriate learning strategy would be” and
were asked to make a selection. A total of 83% responded correctly that “Divide the class into
groups, have them summarize a portion of the chapter and then share with the class” and
indicates that most teachers are aware that this answer is the best learning strategy from the
selections. In addition, 100% of the teachers responded correctly and did not select “Copy the
chapter in a notebook”, “Read the chapter out silently at home”, and “For homework, answer the
questions at the end of the chapter” which indicates that all of the teachers are aware that these
three possible answers are not the best learning strategies from the selections provided. Also,
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 84
16.7% of the teachers did incorrectly select “Read the chapter out loud” which indicates that not
all teachers are aware of the best learning strategy from the selections provided. Overall, the
results showed an 83.3% correct answer average, which was above the 80% threshold for
questions that asked respondents to “select the best answer.” Table 15 displays the multiple-
choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s answers represented as a percentage.
Table 15
Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #8

#8 Procedural Knowledge Item % Count
A large portion of the class has trouble understanding the
textbook. An appropriate learning strategy would be:

1 Copy the chapter in a notebook. 0% 0
2 Read the chapter out loud. 16.7% 4
3* Divide the class into groups, they summarize a portion of the
chapter and then share with the class.
83.3% 20
4 Read the chapter silently at home. 0% 0
5 For homework, answer the questions at the end of the chapter. 0% 0
Total 100% 24
*denotes correct answer

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their procedural knowledge in terms of how to utilize reciprocal teaching and
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 85
cooperative learning, the encouragement of appropriate cognitive processing and developmental
appropriateness. One participant explained that they “utilize the seating chart to group kids. I sit
students next to same language peers. This really helps kids make breakthroughs, and encourages
language skills, both academic language, but also social language.” Another participant points
out the importance of “using technology, especially Chromebooks, and doing so in a
collaborative format really helps the students learn.” Another participant noted that “assigning
roles during collaborative activities is easier when you know the students well. You can mix and
match who they work with to maximize their learning.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall percentage of 70% or more correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a procedural
knowledge gap and indicates that teachers do have a complete understanding of how to utilize
reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning methods, and how to encourage appropriate
cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness. In addition, the ELA teacher interview
participants demonstrated this assumed influence item should be not be considered a procedural
knowledge gap and indicates that teachers are comfortable in utilizing reciprocal teaching and
cooperative learning strategies, along with encouraging appropriate cognitive processing and
developmental appropriateness. Thus, the teacher procedural knowledge gap was not validated.
Influence 4. The ninth assumed influence item, which is procedural, is “Teachers do not
know how to utilize reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning methods and encourage
appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness.”
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 86
Survey results. Teachers were given five choices to the prompt “To encourage
appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness during instruction, I could”
and instructed to mark all choices that apply. Three of the five choices are considered correct
answers, and two are considered incorrect. A total of 66.7% responded correctly that
“Differentiate instruction” is a strategy that can be used to encourage appropriate cognitive
processing and developmental appropriateness, which indicates that some teachers are aware of
this important element of instruction. In addition, 50% of the teachers responded correctly that
“Scaffold the writing process” and “Model writing skills” are strategies that can be used to
encourage appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness, which indicates
that a small number of teachers are aware of these important elements of instruction. Also, 100%
of the teachers responded incorrectly and did not select “Assign college level novels” as a
possible strategy to encourage appropriate cognitive processing and developmental
appropriateness, which indicates that teachers are not aware of this possible strategy. It should be
considered acceptable that the teachers did not select this as assigning college level novels to EL
students to read may not at first glance be appropriate but should be considered a strategy to
differentiate instruction. Finally, 100% of the teachers responded correctly and did not select
“None of the above” which indicates that the teachers understood that at least some of the
options would encourage appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness.
Overall, the results showed an 73.34% correct answer average, which was below the 85%
threshold for questions that asked respondents to “mark all that apply.” Table 16 displays the
multiple-choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s answers represented as a percentage.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 87
Table 16
Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #9

#9 Factual Knowledge Item % Count
To encourage appropriate cognitive processing and
developmental appropriateness during instruction, I could: (mark
all that apply)

1* Scaffold the writing process. 50% 12
2* Differentiate instruction. 66.7% 16
3 Assign college level novels. 0% 0
4* Model writing skills. 50% 12
5 None of the above. 0% 0
Total Avg. 73.34 NA
*denotes correct answer

Interview findings. There was a variety of understanding between the interviewed
participants regarding their procedural knowledge of how to encourage appropriate cognitive
processing and developmental appropriateness. One participant explained they use “modeling...I
am huge about modeling. Everything in the classroom, but especially reading and writing.
Thinking out loud, helping the students ‘see’ how to do something. For example, with reading, I
have a bookmark with reading strategies on one side and info about the novel on the other. As
we read, I refer to the bookmark and model how the students should approach reading.” Another
participant noted that “appropriate is hard. Students are often at the 4th - 7th grade reading level,
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 88
but they are 9th - 12th graders. It can be difficult to meet their needs.” Several participants
shared that “placement and grouping is a huge component of developmental appropriateness. We
are very proactive and strategic with moving students up or down in the [EL] program to meet
their needs.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the overall mean of less than 70% Likert Scale participant
responses, this assumed influence item should be considered a procedural knowledge gap and
indicates that teachers do not have a complete understanding of various strategies that would
encourage appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness. In addition, the
ELA teacher interview participants demonstrated that this assumed influence should be
considered a procedural knowledge gap and indicates that teachers need additional knowledge in
this area. Thus, the teacher procedural knowledge gap was validated.
Influence 5. The tenth assumed influence item, which is procedural, is “Teachers do not
know how to collect performance data through formative and summative assessments.”
Survey results. Teachers were given five choices to the prompt “To collect formative
assessment data, I could” and instructed to mark all that apply. Three of the five choices are
considered correct answers, and two are considered incorrect. A total of 100% of the teachers
responded correctly that “Have students compare and contrast a topic using a Venn diagram”,
“Have students complete a short quiz”, and “Thumbs up or down after teacher asks a question”
are strategies for collecting formative assessment data, which indicates that all teachers are aware
of formative assessment techniques. In addition, 100% of the teachers responded correctly that
the answer “Students read a chapter from the text” is not a formative assessment strategy, which
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 89
indicates that all teachers are aware of activities which are not formative assessment techniques.
Also, 100% of the teachers responded correctly and did not select “None of the above” which
indicates that teachers are aware that some of the possible answers can be considered formative
assessment strategies. Overall, the results showed a 100% correct answer average, which was
above the 85% threshold for questions that asked respondents to “mark all that apply.” Table 17
displays the multiple-choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s answers represented as a
percentage.
Table 17
Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #10

#10 Procedural Knowledge Item % Count
To collect formative assessment data, I could: (mark all that
apply)

1 Students read a chapter from the text. 0% 0
2* Have students compare and contrast a topic using a Venn
diagram.
100% 24
3* Have students complete a short quiz. 100% 24
4* Thumbs up or down after teacher asks a question. 100% 24
5 None of the above. 0% 0
Total Avg. 100%
*denotes correct answer

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 90
Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their procedural knowledge of formative assessment data collection methods. One
participant pointed to the use of “Canvas, our learning management system, which helps provide
formative and summative assessment data after students take quizzes and tests.” Another
participant noted that “formative assessments help me determine how much scaffolding a student
needs I use this data to help me reflect on the learning and decide if more instruction is needed.”
All the participants reported using a variety of informal formative assessment strategies,
including “exit tickets, thumbs up thumbs down strategies, mini-whiteboards, quick-write
activities, and clickers.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall percentage of 70% or more correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item can be set aside as a possible procedural
knowledge gap among the organization’s ELA teachers. In addition, the ELA teacher interview
participants demonstrated that this assumed influence should not be considered a procedural
knowledge gap and indicates that teachers do not need additional knowledge in this area. Thus,
this teacher procedural knowledge gap was not validated.
Influence 6. The eleventh assumed influence item, which is procedural, is “Teachers do
not know how to collect performance data through formative and summative assessments.”
Survey results. Teachers were given five choices to the prompt “To collect summative
assessment data, I could” and instructed to mark all that apply. Three of the five choices are
considered correct answers, and two are considered incorrect. A total of 100% of the teachers
responded correctly that “Assign end-of-unit or -chapter tests” is a summative assessment
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 91
strategy, which indicates that all teachers are aware of this as a summative assessment technique.
In addition, 66.7% of the teachers correctly responded that “Review district benchmark
assessment scores” is a summative assessment strategy, which indicates that not all teachers are
aware of this as a summative assessment technique. Further, 50% of the teachers correctly
responded that “Review state-mandated exam scores” is a summative assessment strategy, which
indicates that half the teachers are not aware that this is a summative assessment technique.
Finally, 100% of the teachers responded correctly and did not select “None of the above” which
indicates that teachers are aware that some of the possible answers can be considered summative
assessment strategies. Overall, the results showed an 83.34% correct answer average, which was
below the 85% threshold for questions that asked respondents to “mark all that apply.” Table 18
displays the multiple-choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s answers represented as a
percentage.
Table 18
Survey Results for Procedural Knowledge Item #11

#11 Procedural Knowledge Item % Count
To collect summative assessment data, I could: (mark all that
apply)

1* Review state-mandated exam scores. 50% 12
2 Cold call on students. 0% 0
3* Assign end-of-unit or -chapter tests. 100% 24
4* Review district benchmark assessment scores. 66.7% 16
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 92
5 None of the above. 0% 0
Total Avg. 83.34 NA
*denotes correct answer

Interview findings. There was a variety of understanding between the interviewed
participants regarding their procedural knowledge of summative assessment data collection
methods. One participant explained “I use a variety of summative strategies including unit tests,
which might include multiple-choice questions, or short answer questions, or essay questions.
Essays themselves also are good for collecting summative data.” Another participant noted that
“Canvas [learning management system] has great tools for looking at test results. We can see at a
glance how the kids did, and what they learned and did not learn. This gives us a quick way to
determine if I need to reteach a concept.” It is important to note that none of the participants
mentioned using state-mandated exams or district benchmark assessments to collect data.
Nevertheless, teachers demonstrated an understanding of summative assessment strategies.
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the low overall percentage less than 85% or more correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item should be considered a procedural knowledge
gap and indicates that teachers do not have a good understanding of various strategies for
collecting summative assessment data. While the ELA teacher interview participants
demonstrated that this assumed influence should be not be considered a procedural knowledge
gap, the survey results are compelling enough to consider this a procedural knowledge gap and
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 93
indicates that teachers do need additional knowledge in this area. Thus, the teacher procedural
knowledge gap was validated.
Metacognitive Knowledge
Influence 1. The twelfth assumed influence item, which is metacognitive, is “Teachers
do not know how to reflect on their practice by using data to inform instruction.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate themselves on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0
indicating “Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “I
reflect on my practice by using data to inform instruction.” The mean response for this item was
83.33%, which indicates that most teachers know how to reflect on their practice by using data.
Overall, the mean results were 83.33%, which was above the 70% threshold for questions that
asked respondents to respond to a prompt using a Likert Scale. Table 19 displays the
respondent’s average response to the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0
indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly Agree."
Table 19
Survey Results for Metacognitive Knowledge Item #12

Assumed Cause #12 Metacognitive Knowledge Item Result
Teachers do not know how to
reflect on their practice by using
data to inform instruction.
I reflect on my practice by using
data to inform instruction.
Mean
83.33
SD
12.91

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their metacognitive knowledge of how to use data to reflect on their instructional
practice. One participant shared that “I am very reflective, to the point that I need to simmer
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 94
down and find a balance between too much analysis and the right amount. Too much analysis
can get in the way of all the other parts of our day.” Another participant noted that “performance
data is a way for me to gauge what I am teaching...is it working, are the kids learning, and how
much are they learning.” A common theme for the participants is the use of “a variety of
summative strategies including unit tests, which might include multiple-choice questions, or
short answer questions, or essay questions. Essays themselves also are good for collecting
summative data.” All the participants reported using a variety of informal formative assessment
strategies, including “exit tickets, thumbs up thumbs down strategies, mini-whiteboards, quick-
write activities, and clickers.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall mean of 70% or more Likert Scale
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a metacognitive
knowledge gap and indicates that teachers know how to reflect on their practice using data to
inform instruction. In addition, the ELA teacher interview participants demonstrated that this
assumed influence should not be considered a procedural knowledge gap and indicates that
teachers do not need additional knowledge in this area. Thus, the teacher metacognitive
knowledge gap was not validated.
Influence 2. The thirteenth assumed influence item, which is metacognitive, is “Teachers
do not know how to reflect on their practice by using data to inform instruction.”
Survey results. Teachers were given four choices to the prompt “Formative assessments
help me reflect on instruction during a unit” and instructed to mark all choices that apply. Three
of the five choices are considered correct answers, and two are considered incorrect. A total of
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 95
100% responded correctly that “Gathering data of learning during a lesson,” “Gathering data to
determine what each student has learned,” and “Gathering data to determine what needs to be
retaught,” which indicates that all teachers are aware of formative assessments that help teachers
reflect on instruction. In addition, 100% of the teachers responded correctly and did not select
“None of the above” which indicates that teachers are aware that some of the possible answers
can be considered formative assessment strategies that help teachers reflect on instruction.
Overall, the results showed a 100% correct answer average, which was above the 85% threshold
for questions that asked respondents to “mark all that apply.” Table 20 displays the multiple-
choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s answers represented as a percentage.
Table 20
Survey Results for Metacognitive Knowledge Item #13

#13 Metacognitive Knowledge Item % Count
Formative assessments help me reflect on instruction during a
unit by: (mark all that apply)

1* Gathering data of learning during a lesson. 100% 24
2* Gathering data to determine what each student has learned. 100% 24
3* Gathering data to determine what needs to be retaught. 100% 24
4 None of the above. 0% 0
Total Avg. 100% NA
*denotes correct answer

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 96
Interview findings. Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall percentage of 70% or more correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a metacognitive
knowledge gap and indicates that teachers do have an understanding of how to use formative
assessments to reflect on instruction. Thus, the metacognitive knowledge gap was not validated.
Influence 3. The fourteenth assumed influence item, which is metacognitive, is
“Teachers do not know how to reflect on their practice by using data to inform instruction.”
Survey results. Teachers were given four choices to the prompt “Summative assessments
help me reflect on instruction during a unit” and instructed to mark all choices that apply. Three
of the five choices are considered correct answers, and two are considered incorrect. A total of
100% responded correctly that “Gathering data of learning during a lesson,” “Gathering data to
determine what each student has learned,” and “Gathering data to determine what needs to be
retaught,” which indicates that all teachers are aware of summative assessments that help
teachers reflect on instruction. In addition, 100% of the teachers responded correctly and did not
select “None of the above” which indicates that teachers are aware that some of the possible
answers can be considered summative assessment strategies that help teachers reflect on
instruction. Overall, the results showed a 100% correct answer average, which was above the
85% threshold for questions that asked respondents to “mark all that apply.” Table 21 displays
the multiple-choice portion of the survey with the respondent’s answers represented as a
percentage.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 97

Table 21
Survey Results for Metacognitive Knowledge Item #14

#14 Metacognitive Knowledge Item % Count
Summative assessments help me reflect on instruction after a
unit by: (mark all that apply).

1* Gathering data of learning after a unit. 100% 24
2* Gathering data to determine what each student has learned. 100% 24
3* Gathering data to determine what needs to be retaught. 100% 24
4 None of the above. 0% 0
Total Avg. 100% NA

Interview findings. Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall percentage of 70% or more correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a metacognitive
knowledge gap and indicates that teachers do have a high-level understanding of how to reflect
on data to inform instruction. Thus, the teacher metacognitive knowledge gap was not validated.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 98
Results and Findings for the Motivation Causes
The quantitative data, collected by way of a 28-question survey, provides data regarding
teachers’ perceived gap in knowledge, motivation, and organizational processes. The qualitative
data, collected by way of semi-structured interviews and document analysis, helps provide
deeper insight into teacher views of knowledge, motivation, and organizational process. This
section will explore the results and findings for motivation causes. Table 3 and 4 below provide
additional information below. Table 3 displays the multiple-choice portion of survey with the
respondent’s answers represented as a percentage. Table 4 displays the respondent’s average
response to the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly
Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly Agree”.
In Chapter Three, the assumed causes for the performance gap were described. Teachers
need to be aware of their motivation. There are three types of motivation that ELA teachers of
EL students need as they work to improve EL student achievement to meet the organizational
goal of increasing the graduation rate of EL students. Specifically, this study looked at teachers’
values (valuing the needs of their EL students), teachers’ self-efficacy (the confidence that they
have the needed skills to teach effectively with EL students), and teachers’ mood (positive
feelings about persisting through barriers and challenges).
Value
Influence 1. The fifteenth assumed influence item, which is a value, is “teachers do not
value the needs of EL students.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate themselves on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0
indicating “Low value” and 100 indicating “High value” in response to the prompt “When all of
your teacher responsibilities are considered, please indicate to what degree you value the needs
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 99
of your EL students.” The mean response for this item was 100%, which indicates that all
teachers value the needs of their EL students higher when compared to the other responsibilities
a teacher has. Overall, the mean results were 100%, which was above the 70% threshold for
questions that asked respondents to respond to a prompt using a Likert Scale. Table 22 displays
the respondent’s average response to the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0
indicating “Low Value” and 100 indicating “High Value."
Table 22
Survey Results for Motivation Item #15

#15 Motivation Item Result
Teachers do not
value the needs of
EL students.
When all of your teacher responsibilities are
considered, please indicate to what degree you value
the needs of your EL students.
Mean
100.00
SD
0

Interview findings. Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall percentage of 70% or more correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a motivation gap and
indicates that that teachers place a high value on the needs of their EL students. Thus, the teacher
motivation gap was not validated.
Self-Efficacy
Influence 1. The sixteenth assumed influence item, which is self-efficacy, is “Teachers
do not have confidence that they have the skills necessary to effectively teach EL students.”
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 100
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate themselves on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0
indicating “Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “I
am confident that I can teach EL students effectively.” The mean response for this item was
79.17%, which indicates that most teachers are confident that they can teach EL students
effectively. Overall, the mean results were 79.17%, which was above/below the 70% threshold
for questions that asked respondents to respond to a prompt using a Likert Scale. Table 23
displays the respondent’s average response to the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100,
with 0 indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly Agree."
Table 23
Survey Results for Metacognitive Knowledge Item #16

#16 Self-Efficacy Motivation Item Result
Teachers do not have
confidence that they have
the skills necessary to
teach effectively with EL
students.
I am confident that I can teach EL students
effectively.
Mean
79.17
SD
18.82

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their self-efficacy and motivation related to their confidence level in terms of their
skills needed to teach EL students effectively. One participant explained that they “are not as
confident as I could be. We have a lot of supports to help us work with our EL students, and I
have helpful colleagues, but I am not as confident as I could be.” Another participant shared that
in her opinion “confidence comes from loving the EL students, and my heart is there, but I am
still developing my skill set.”
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 101
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, in spite of the high overall mean of 70% or more Likert Scale
participant responses, this assumed influence item should be considered a self-efficacy
motivation gap although it indicates that, as far as the survey is concerned, teachers do have a
high level of confidence that they have the skills necessary to effectively teach EL students.
However, the ELA teacher interview participants demonstrated compelling evidence that this
assumed influence item should be considered a declarative knowledge gap and indicates that
teachers do not have a high level of confidence that they have the skills necessary to effectively
teach EL students. Thus, the teacher self-efficacy motivation gap was validated.
Mood
Influence 1. The seventeenth assumed influence item, which is mood, is “Teachers do
not feel positive about their ability to persist through barriers and challenges they may face in
working with EL students to achieve the organizational goal.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate themselves on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0
indicating “Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt
“Overall, I am satisfied with my job as a teacher.” The mean response for this item was 91.67%,
which indicates that nearly all respondents are satisfied with their job as a teacher. Overall, the
mean results were 91.67%, which was above the 70% threshold for questions that asked
respondents to respond to a prompt using a Likert Scale. Table 24 displays the respondent’s
average response to the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly
Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly Agree."

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 102
Table 24
Survey Results for Mood Motivation Item #17

#17 Mood Motivation Item Result
Teachers do not feel positive
about their ability to persist
through barriers and challenges
they may face in working with
EL students to achieve the
organizational goal.
Overall, I am satisfied with my job as a
teacher.
Mean
91.67
SD
12.91

Interview findings. Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall mean of 70% or more Likert Scale
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a mood motivation
gap and indicates that teachers do feel positive about their ability to persist through barriers and
challenges they may face in working with EL students to achieve the organizational goal. Thus,
the teacher mood motivation gap was not validated.
Influence 2. The eighteenth assumed influence item, which is mood, is “Teachers do not
feel positive about their ability to persist through barriers and challenges they may face in
working with EL students to achieve the organizational goal.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate themselves on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0
indicating “Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “I
feel personally and professionally fulfilled as a teacher.” The mean response for this item was
87.5%, which indicates that most teachers feel personally and professionally fulfilled. Overall,
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 103
the mean results were 87.5%, which was above the 70% threshold for questions that asked
respondents to respond to a prompt using a Likert Scale. Table 25 displays the respondent’s
average response to the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly
Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly Agree."
Table 25
Survey Results for Mood Motivation Item #18

#18 Mood Motivation Item Result
Teachers do not feel positive
about their ability to persist
through barriers and challenges
they may face in working with
EL students to achieve the
organizational goal.
I feel personally and professionally
fulfilled as a teacher.
Mean
87.5
SD
13.69

Interview findings. Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall percentage of 70% or more correct
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a mood motivation
gap and indicates that teachers do feel positive about their ability to persist through barriers and
challenges they may face in working with EL students. Thus, the teacher procedural knowledge
gap was not validated.
Influence 3. The nineteenth assumed influence item, which is mood, is “Teachers do not
feel positive about their ability to persist through barriers and challenges they may face in
working with EL students to achieve the organizational goal.”
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 104
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate themselves on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0
indicating “Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “I
feel positive about my ability to persist through barriers and challenges I may face in working
with EL students to achieve the organizational goal.” The mean response for this item was
87.5%, which indicates that most teachers feel positive about their ability to persist. Overall, the
mean results were 87.5%, which was above/below the 70% threshold for questions that asked
respondents to respond to a prompt using a Likert Scale. Table 26 displays the respondent’s
average response to the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly
Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly Agree."
Table 26
Survey Results for Mood Motivation Item #19

#19 Mood Motivation Item Result
Teachers do not feel
positive about their ability
to persist through barriers
and challenges they may
face in working with EL
students to achieve the
organizational goal.
I feel positive about my ability to persist
through barriers and challenges I may face
in working with EL students to achieve the
organizational goal.
Mean
87.5
SD
13.69

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their mood and feeling positive about their ability to persist through barriers and
challenges they may face in working with EL students. One participant noted that “I feel good
about this, about overcoming the challenges. I have gotten better at bringing in technology and
strategies that will help with instruction.” Another participant recognized that they are “better at
recognizing specific needs of the students, and how to help them achieve.” One participant
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 105
pointed out that the “whole English department is very helpful. We all care about the students,
and we can find help from each other, get new ideas on how to help kids.” Another participant
explained that “our EL students are very motivated and very studious, which makes a big
difference in creating success in the classroom.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall mean of 70% or more Likert Scale
participant responses, this assumed influence item can be set aside as a possible mood motivation
gap among the organization’s ELA teachers. In addition, the ELA teacher interview participants
demonstrated that this assumed influence should not be considered a mood gap and indicates that
teachers do not need additional support in this area. Thus, the teacher mood motivation gap was
not validated.
Results and Findings for Organization Causes
The quantitative data, collected by way of a 28-question survey, provides data regarding
teachers’ perceived gap in knowledge, motivation, and organizational processes. The qualitative
data, collected by way of semi-structured interviews, helps provide deeper insight into teacher
views of knowledge, motivation, and organizational process. This section will explore the results
and findings for organizational causes. Table 5 provides additional information below. Table 5
displays the respondent’s average response to the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100
with 0 indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly Agree”.
In Chapter Three, the assumed causes for the performance gap were described. Teachers
need to be aware of the types of organizational influences and the related research that school
leaders need to consider building capacity in teachers to increase academic achievement among
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 106
EL students and to help close the graduation gap. These include resources (funds for release
time, professional development, and materials), policies, processes, and procedures (support
instruction) and culture (aligns with and enhances teacher student relationships).
Organization-Resources
Influence 1. The twentieth assumed influence item, which is related to organization
resources, is “Teachers do not have the resources to achieve the organization’s goal.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 indicating
“Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “In general, I
have the resources I need to create lessons to help me teach ELA content to my EL students.”
The mean response for this item was 75%, which indicates that most teachers have the resources
they need to create lessons to help teach ELA content to their EL students. Overall, the mean
results were 75%, which was above the 70% threshold for questions that asked respondents to
respond to a prompt using a Likert Scale. Table 27 displays the respondent’s average response to
the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 100
indicating “Strongly Agree.”
Table 27
Survey Results for Organization Resources Item #20

#20 Organization Item Result
Teachers do not have the
resources to achieve the
organization’s goal
In general, I have the resources I need to
create to help me teach ELA content to my
EL students.
Mean
75.00
SD
15.81

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their organization influence in terms of the resources they have to facilitate learning
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 107
for their EL students. All participants agreed that “the PELL program support is excellent. PELL
helps us with buying supplies, getting technology into our rooms, and ensuring we have enough
of everything for the students.” Another participant noted that “the purchase of Chromebook
carts for all English classes has made a big impact on instruction and learning by increasing our
ability to have students collaborate, submit assignments, and utilize learning apps.” In addition, a
participant noted “PELL helps pay for us to go to conferences and get professional development
that directly benefits our students.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall mean of 70% or more Likert Scale
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a resources gap and
indicates that teachers have the resources they need to teach their EL students. In addition, the
ELA teacher interview participants demonstrated this assumed influence item should not be
considered an organization gap and indicates that teachers have the resources they need to
achieve the organization’s goal. Thus, the teacher resources gap was not validated.
Influence 2. The twenty-first assumed influence item, which is related to organization
resources, is “Teachers do not have release time to create culturally relevant lessons.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 indicating
“Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “I currently
have the release time I need to create culturally relevant lessons to help me teach ELA content to
my EL students.” The mean response for this item was 50%, which indicates that a significant
number of teachers do not have release time they need to create culturally relevant lessons to
their EL students. Overall, the mean results were 50%, which was below the 70% threshold for
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 108
questions that asked respondents to respond to a prompt using a Likert Scale. Table 28 displays
the respondent’s average response to the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0
indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly Agree."
Table 28
Survey Results for Organization Resources Item #21

#21 Organization Item Result
Teachers do not have
release time to create
culturally relevant
lessons.
I currently have the release time I need to create
culturally relevant lessons to help me teach ELA
content to my EL students.
Mean
50.00
SD
31.62

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their organization influence in terms of teachers being given release time to create
culturally relevant lessons. One participant noted that “we don’t really have specific release time
to lesson plan.” Another says that “collaboration and time to plan together would be most
helpful.” One participant explained that “quarterly meetings aren’t designed for planning lessons.
Whole group and grade level time for planning would really build capacity in teachers working
with EL students.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the overall mean of less than 70% Likert Scale participant
responses, this assumed influence item should be considered a resources gap and indicates that
not all teachers have release time to create culturally relevant lessons they need to teach their EL
students. In addition, the ELA teacher interview participants demonstrated this assumed
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 109
influence item should be considered an organization gap and indicates that teachers need release
time to create culturally relevant lessons to achieve the organization’s goal. Thus, the teacher
resources gap was validated.
Influence 3. The twenty-second assumed influence item, which is related to organization
resources, is “Teachers do not have funds for professional development to increase their
knowledge.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 indicating
“Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “I have funds
to engage in professional development to help me teach ELA content to my EL students.” The
mean response for this item was 70.83%, which indicates that most teachers have the funds they
need for professional development to increase their knowledge. Overall, the mean results were
70.83%, which was above the 70% threshold for questions that asked respondents to respond to a
prompt using a Likert Scale. Table 29 displays the respondent’s average response to the
associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 100
indicating “Strongly Agree."
Table 29
Survey Results for Organization Resources Item #22

#22 Organization Item Result
Teachers do not have funds
for professional
development to increase
their knowledge.
I have funds to engage in professional
development to help me teach ELA content
to my EL students.
Mean
70.83
SD
24.58

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 110
Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their organization influence in terms of teachers having funds available for
professional development and the types of professional development desired. One participant
echoes what most responded with when they commented “we really want help with reading and
writing strategies.” Another noted that “PD on reading and writing activities helps us build our
curriculum.” Another participant explained that “quality PD helps us immediately in the
classroom. When we are more effective, students learn more, and become more confident. When
they get a taste of success, it helps build motivation. We are lucky in our area to have quality PD
available to us, and PELL and EEG funds help us pay for it.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall mean of 70% or more Likert Scale
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a resources gap and
indicates that teachers have funds for professional development to increase their knowledge in
order to teach their EL students. In addition, the ELA teacher interview participants
demonstrated this assumed influence item should not be considered an organization gap and
indicates that teachers have funds available to access professional development opportunities.
Thus, the teacher resources gap was not validated.
Influence 4. The twenty-third assumed influence item, which is related to organization
resources, is “Teachers do not have funds to acquire materials to serve EL students.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 indicating
“Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “I have all the
textbooks, supplemental instructional materials, and supplies that I need to successfully teach
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 111
ELA content to my EL students.” The mean response for this item was 66.67%, which indicates
that most teachers have the funds they need to acquire materials to serve EL students. Overall,
the mean results were 66.67%, which was below the 70% threshold for questions that asked
respondents to respond to a prompt using a Likert Scale. Table 30 displays the respondent’s
average response to the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly
Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly Agree."
Table 30
Survey Results for Organization Resources Item #23

#23 Organization Item Result
Teachers do not have
funds to acquire
materials to serve EL
students.
I have all the textbooks, supplemental
instructional materials, and supplies that I need to
successfully teach ELA content to my EL
students.
Mean
66.67
SD
30.28

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their organization influence in terms of teachers having the funds needed to acquire
materials to serve EL students. One participant noted that they are “not super reliant on
textbooks, but we have great resources in terms of our textbook.” Another participant shared that
“we can always use more technology. While we have Chromebooks, they have their limits.
Smartphones can often do more for tech activities, but not all EL students have smartphones.”
Another participant explained that “many EL students, even students in general, do not have the
needed technology at home to keep up. Even if they check out a loaner Chromebook, the student
may not have wireless at home to connect to. So yes, we have the supplies and things we need in
the classroom, and students who need it, can use the school’s computer labs to get work done.”
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 112
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, in spite of the low overall mean of less than 70% Likert Scale
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered an organization
resources gap although it indicates that, as far as the survey is concerned, teachers do not have
funds to acquire materials to serve EL students. However, the ELA teacher interview participants
demonstrated compelling evidence that this assumed influence item should not be considered an
organization resources gap and indicates that teachers do have all the textbooks, supplemental
instructional materials, and supplies that they need to successfully teach ELA content to their EL
students. Thus, the teacher organization resources gap was not validated.
Influence 1. The twenty-fourth assumed influence item, which is related to organization
policies, processes, and procedures, is “Teachers do not feel that the school and district policies,
processes and procedures support their instruction.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 indicating
“Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “I am familiar
with the school policies, processes, and procedures that relate to the implementation of EL
instructional practices.” The mean response for this item was 75% which indicates that most
teachers are familiar with the school policies, processes, and procedures that relate to the
implementation of EL instructional practices. Overall, the mean results were 75%, which was
above the 70% threshold for questions that asked respondents to respond to a prompt using a
Likert Scale. Table 31 displays the respondent’s average response to the associated survey item
on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly
Agree."
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 113
Table 31
Survey Results for Organization Policies, Processes, & Procedures Item #24

#24
Organization Policies, Processes, &
Procedures Item
Result
Teachers do not feel that
the school and district
policies, processes and
procedures support their
instruction.
I am familiar with the school policies,
processes and procedures that relate to the
implementation of EL instructional practices.
Mean
75.00
SD
22.36

Interview findings. Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall mean of 70% or more Likert Scale
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered an organization
policies, processes, and procedures gap and indicates that most teachers feel that the school’s
policies, processes, and procedures support their EL instructional practices. Thus, the
organization policies, processes, and procedures gap was not validated.
Influence 2. The twenty-fifth assumed influence item, which is related to organization
policies, processes, and procedures, is “Teachers do not feel that the school and district policies,
processes and procedures support their instruction.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 indicating
“Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “I am familiar
with the district policies, processes, and procedures that relate to the implementation of EL
instructional practices.” The mean response for this item was 70.83%, which indicates that most
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 114
teachers are familiar with the district policies, processes, and procedures that relate to the
implementation of EL instructional practices. Overall, the mean results were 70.83%, which was
above the 70% threshold for questions that asked respondents to respond to a prompt using a
Likert Scale. Table 32 displays the respondent’s average response to the associated survey item
on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly
Agree."
Table 32
Survey Results for Organization Policies, Processes, & Procedures Item #25

#25
Organization Policies, Processes, &
Procedures Item
Result
Teachers do not feel that
the school and district
policies, processes and
procedures support their
instruction.
I am familiar with the district policies,
processes and procedures that relate to the
implementation of EL instructional practices.
Mean
70.83
SD
29.23

Interview findings. Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall mean of 70% or more Likert Scale
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a resources gap and
indicates that most teachers feel that the school’s policies, processes, and procedures support
their EL instructional practices. Thus, the teacher organization policies, processes, and
procedures gap was not validated.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 115
Influence 3. The twenty-sixth assumed influence item, which is related to organization
policies, processes, and procedures, is “Teachers do not feel that the school and district policies,
processes and procedures support their instruction.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 indicating
“Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “I believe the
school policies, processes and procedures support the implementation of effective EL
instructional practices.” The mean response for this item was 58.33%, which indicates that most
teachers are familiar with the district policies, processes, and procedures that relate to the
implementation of EL instructional practices. Overall, the mean results were 58.33%, which was
below the 70% threshold for questions that asked respondents to respond to a prompt using a
Likert Scale. Table 33 displays the respondent’s average response to the associated survey item
on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly
Agree."
Table 33

Survey Results for Organization Policies, Processes, & Procedures Item #26

#26
Organization Policies, Processes, &
Procedures Item
Result
Teachers do not feel that
the school and district
policies, processes and
procedures support their
instruction.
I believe the school policies, processes and
procedures support the implementation of
effective EL instructional practices.
Mean
58.33
SD
25.82

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding their organization influence in terms of teachers believing that school policies,
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 116
processes and procedures support the implementation of effective EL practices. One participant
noted “the guidance department is very supportive of EL students in terms of appropriate
placement. They are very aware of our EL students and build their schedules to get students in
the proper classes.” In addition, a participant noted that “the school devotes resources to having a
PELL/EL coordinator who works on testing EL students, overseeing their placement, and
providing support to teachers with EL students.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the low overall mean of 70% or less Likert Scale
participant responses, this assumed influence item should be considered an organization policies,
processes, and procedures gap and indicates that teachers do not believe the school policies,
processes and procedures support the implementation of effective EL instructional practices.
Although the interview findings indicate that there is not a gap, the interview participants did not
provide enough compelling evidence to overcome the mean interview results of 58.33. Thus, the
organization policies, processes, and procedures gap was validated.
Influence 4. The twenty-seventh assumed influence item, which is related to organization
policies, processes, and procedures, is “Teachers do not feel that the school and district policies,
processes and procedures support their instruction.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 indicating
“Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “I believe the
district policies, processes and procedures support the implementation of effective EL
instructional practices.” The mean response for this item was 66.67%, which indicates that most
teachers are familiar with the district policies, processes, and procedures that relate to the
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 117
implementation of EL instructional practices. Overall, the mean results were 66.67%, which was
below the 70% threshold for questions that asked respondents to respond to a prompt using a
Likert Scale. Table 34 displays the respondent’s average response to the associated survey item
on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly
Agree."
Table 34

Survey Results for Organization Policies, Processes, & Procedures Item #27

#27
Organization Policies, Processes, &
Procedures Item
Result
Teachers do not feel that
the school and district
policies, processes and
procedures support their
instruction.
I believe the district policies, processes and
procedures support the implementation of
effective EL instructional practices.
Mean
66.67
SD
20.41

Interview findings. There was mixed agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding this organization influence in terms of teachers believing that district policies,
processes and procedures support the implementation of effective EL practices. One participant
explained they “appreciate the facilitation of professional development funds, and the tech and
textbook support.” Another participant noted they “would like more staff development from the
district in terms of using and understanding data.” In addition, several participants shared the
desire for “a district position dedicated solely to EL programs and students. Every program has
this except our EL program, at least at the district level. Having an EL facilitator, coordinator or
director would strengthen our support of EL students, and would help us be more collaborative,
allowing us to grow our capacity together.”
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 118
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the overall mean of less than 70% Likert Scale participant
responses, this assumed influence item should be considered a resources gap and indicates that
not all teachers feel that the school’s policies, processes, and procedures support their EL
instructional practices. In addition, this assumed influence item should be considered a resources
gap and indicates that teachers believe that district policies, processes and procedures could be
improved to support the implementation of effective EL practices. Thus, the teacher resources
gap was validated.
Culture
Influence 1. The twenty-eighth assumed influence item, which is related to organization
culture, is “Teachers are not a part of a culture that aligns with and enhances positive teacher
student relationships.”
Survey results. Teachers were asked to rate on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 indicating
“Strongly disagree” and 100 indicating “Strongly agree” in response to the prompt “The culture
of my school aligns with and enhances positive teacher student relationships.” The mean
response for this item was 83.33%, which indicates that most teachers believe that the culture of
the organization enhances positive teacher student relationships. Overall, the mean results were
83.33%, which was above/below the 70% threshold for questions that asked respondents to
respond to a prompt using a Likert Scale. Table 35 displays the respondent’s average response to
the associated survey item on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 100
indicating “Strongly Agree."

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 119
Table 35

Survey Results for Organization Culture Item #28

#28 Organization Culture Item Result
Teachers are not a part of a
culture that aligns with and
enhances positive teacher
student relationships.
The culture of my school aligns with and
enhances positive teacher student
relationships.
Mean
83.33
SD
12.91

Interview findings. There was clear agreement between the interviewed participants
regarding this organization culture influence in terms of teachers believe that they are a part of a
culture that aligns with and enhances positive teacher student relationships. One participant
noted that “we have a very positive teacher student culture on campus.” Another participant
explained that we have a “very energetic, fun and involved staff that go to school events to cheer
students on.” Another participant explained that “we have a culture of getting to know our
students, hearing about their lives, understanding who they are.”
Observation. Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document analysis. Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary. In summary, due to the high overall mean of 70% or more Likert Scale
participant responses, this assumed influence item should not be considered a organization
culture gap and indicates that most believe they are a part of a culture that aligns with and
enhances positive teacher student relationships. In addition, the ELA teacher interview
participants demonstrated that this assumed influence should not be considered an organization
culture gap and indicates that teachers believe that they are a part of a culture that aligns with and
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 120
enhances positive teacher student relationships. Thus, the teacher organization culture gap was
not validated.
Summary of Validated Influences
Knowledge
Gaps in three of the ten assumed knowledge influences were validated through surveys
and interviews. Table 36 presents an overview of the results of the assessment of each assumed
knowledge influence. Recommendations to improve each validated cause will be discussed in
Chapter Five.
Table 36

Summary of Assumed Knowledge Gaps Validation

Assumed Knowledge Influences Gap Validated?

Declarative Factual
Teachers need to know ELA content standards. No

Teachers need to know what culturally relevant pedagogy is. Yes

Declarative Conceptual
Teachers need to know EL strategies, principles and models No
of culturally relevant pedagogy.

Teachers need to use learning activities that are similar to No
the individual’s cultural settings to enhance learning and
transfer.

Teachers need to know the relationship between culturally No
relevant pedagogy and student achievement.

Procedural
Teachers need to know how to develop positive teacher student No
relationships.

Teachers need to know how to utilize reciprocal teaching and Yes
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 121
cooperative learning methods, and encourage appropriate cognitive
processing and developmental appropriateness.

Teachers need to be able to collect performance data through No
formative assessments.

Teachers need to be able to collect performance data through Yes
summative assessments.

Metacognitive
Teachers need to know how to reflect on their practice by using No
data to inform instruction.

Motivation
Gaps in one of the three assumed motivation influences were validated through surveys
and interviews. Table 37 presents an overview of the results of the assessment of each assumed
motivation influence. Recommendations to improve each validated cause will be discussed in
Chapter Five.
Table 37

Summary of Assumed Motivation Causes Validation

Assumed Motivation Influences Gap Validated?

Value
Teachers need to value the needs of EL students. No
Self-Efficacy
Teachers need to have confidence that they have the skills Yes
necessary to teach effectively with EL students.

Mood
Teachers need to feel positive about their ability to persist No
through barriers and challenges they may face in working with
EL students to achieve the organizational goal.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 122

Organization
Gaps in three of the seven assumed organization influences were validated through
surveys and interviews. Table 38 presents an overview of the results of the assessment of each
assumed organization influence. Recommendations to improve each validated cause will be
discussed in Chapter Five.
Table 38

Summary of Assumed Organization Causes Validation
Assumed Organization Influences Gap Validated?

Resources
Teachers need resources to achieve the organization’s goal. No
Teachers need release time to create culturally relevant lessons. Yes
Teachers need funds for professional development to increase No
their knowledge.

Teachers need funds to acquire materials to serve EL students. No
Policies, Processes, & Procedures
Teachers need to feel that the school policies, processes and Yes
procedures support their instruction.

Teachers need to feel that the district policies, processes and Yes
procedures support their instruction.

Cultural Setting
Teachers need to be part of a culture that aligns with and enhances No
positive teacher student relationships.

Chapter Five will examine proposed solutions for each validated cause. Each proposed
solution will utilize evidence-based recommendations identified through relevant academic
literature. Proposed solutions will be shared with faculty members and administration of Sunset
Hills High School.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 123
CHAPTER FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS AND EVALUATION
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to determine the knowledge,
motivation and organizational barriers to all ELA teachers teaching 100% of the grade level
language arts content with 100% culturally relevant pedagogy required for 100% of students to
pass their course and advance to the next grade level and ultimate graduation. The gap analysis
approach (Clark & Estes, 2008: Rueda, 2011) assisted in the analysis of the challenges and
barriers in knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational culture, determined the causes of
these challenges, and identify and implement solutions that EL teachers can use to help improve
the graduation rate of EL students.
The project was guided by the following questions:
1. What are the knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational barriers to
all ELA teachers teaching 100% of the grade level language arts content with
100% culturally relevant pedagogy 100% of the time?
2. What are the knowledge and skills, motivations, and organizational solutions
such that all ELA teachers will teach 100% of the grade level language arts
content with 100% culturally relevant pedagogy 100% of the time?
Recommendations to Address Knowledge, Motivation, and Organization Influences
The assumed knowledge, motivation, and organization influences in the following tables
have all been validated as gaps through teacher surveys and interviews. As indicated in the
tables, each influence has been given a high priority for achieving the organization’s goal. In
addition, each table lists the evidence-based principles that support the recommendation. The
recommendation for each cause was based on applying the principle. Following the table, a
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 124
detailed discussion is provided for each high priority cause, the principle, the solution, and
support for the solution based in the literature.
Knowledge Recommendations
Introduction. Gaps in three of the ten assumed knowledge influences were validated
through surveys and interviews. One assumed declarative factual knowledge influence was
validated, and two assumed procedural knowledge influences were validated. No assumed
declarative conceptual influences were validated. As indicated in Table 39, each validated
influence has been given a high priority for achieving the organization’s goal. In addition, Table
39 lists the evidence-based principles that support the recommendation. The recommendation for
each cause was based on applying the principle. Following the table, a detailed discussion is
provided for each high priority cause, the principle, the solution, and support for the solution
based in the literature.
Table 39

Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations

Assumed
Knowledge
Influence
Priority
High
Low
Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific Recommendation
Declarative
Factual:
Teachers need
to know what
culturally
relevant
pedagogy is.
High To develop mastery,
individuals must
acquire component
skills, practice
integrating them, and
know when to apply
what they have learned
(Schraw &
McCrudden, 2006.)
Provide onsite opportunities that
illustrate what culturally relevant
pedagogy is and connects this
content to classroom instruction.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 125
Conceptual:
none

Procedural:
Teachers need
to know how to
utilize reciprocal
teaching and
cooperative
learning
methods, and
encourage
appropriate
cognitive
processing and
developmental
appropriateness.
High To develop mastery,
training must show
teachers how to utilize
the strategies to
achieve the goal (Clark
and Estes, 2008).

To develop mastery,
teachers must be given
the opportunity to
repetitively practice
the strategies they have
been taught. The more
they practice, the more
they will know
(Meyer, 2011).

Modeling to-be-
learned strategies or
behaviors improves
self-efficacy, learning,
and performance
(Denler, Wolters, &
Benzon, 2009).
Provide opportunities for the teacher
to observe a mentor, and then teach
the lesson to their own students. The
mentor teacher can provide targeted
feedback which can be especially
powerful in improving function,
especially when it includes details on
how to improve instructional
practice (Shute, 2008).
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 126
Procedural:
Teachers need
to be able to
collect
performance
data through
summative
assessments.
High To develop mastery,
individuals must
acquire component
skills, practice
integrating them, and
know when to apply
what they have learned
(Schraw &
McCrudden, 2006.)

Modeling to-be-
learned strategies or
behaviors improves
self-efficacy, learning,
and performance
(Denler et al., 2009).
Provide opportunities for the teacher
to observe a mentor, and then teach
the lesson to their own students. The
mentor teacher can provide targeted
feedback which can be especially
powerful in improving function,
especially when it includes details on
how to improve instructional
practice (Shute, 2008).
Metacognitive:
none

Declarative knowledge solutions. Teachers need to know what culturally relevant
pedagogy is. To develop mastery, individuals must acquire component skills, practice integrating
them, and know when to apply what they have learned (Schraw & McCrudden, 2006.) This
would suggest that providing on site opportunities that illustrates what culturally relevant
pedagogy is and connects this content to classroom instruction would support the participants
learning. The recommendation then for teachers of ELA students might be to provide them with
learning opportunities that allow teachers to see EL strategies, principles, and models of
culturally relevant pedagogy.
Mayer (2011) explains that providing guidance, modeling, coaching, and other
scaffolding promotes learning. Administration at Sunset Hills High School need to provide
teachers of EL students with opportunities to acquire new behaviors through demonstration and
modeling (Denler, Wolters, & Benzon, 2009). As such, the recommendation being made is that
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 127
teachers of ELA students would benefit from observing lessons where the effective use of
culturally relevant pedagogy is being utilized.
Procedural knowledge solutions. The data validated two gaps among the knowledge
influences. The first is that teachers need to know how to utilize reciprocal teaching and
cooperative learning methods and encourage appropriate cognitive processing and
developmental appropriateness. The second is teachers need to be able to collect performance
data through summative assessments. This first influence was determined to be more critical to
instructional practices and will therefore be addressed in this section. To develop mastery,
training must show teachers how to utilize the strategies to achieve the goal (Clark and Estes,
2008). In addition, to develop mastery, teachers must be given the opportunity to repetitively
practice the strategies they have been taught. The more they practice, the more they will know
(Meyer, 2011). This would suggest providing teachers of ELA students with opportunities for the
teacher to observe a mentor, and then teach the lesson to their own students. The mentor teacher
can provide targeted feedback which can be especially powerful in improving function,
especially when it includes details on how to improve instructional practice (Shute, 2008).
Modeling to-be-learned strategies or behaviors improves self-efficacy, learning, and performance
(Denler et al., 2009). The recommendation then for teachers of ELA students might be to provide
them with learning opportunities that allow teachers to see EL lessons that utilize reciprocal
teaching and cooperative learning methods and encourage appropriate cognitive processing and
developmental appropriateness.
Schraw and McCrudden (2006) tell us that modeling effective strategy use, including the
“how” and the “when” to use particular strategies promotes learning. Modeling to-be-learned
strategies or behaviors improves self-efficacy, learning, and performance (Denler et al., 2009).
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 128
Administration at Sunset Hills High School needs to provide teachers of EL students with
opportunities to acquire new behaviors through demonstration and modeling (Denler et al.,
2009). As such, the recommendation being made is that teachers of ELA students would benefit
from observing lessons where the effective use of culturally relevant pedagogy is being modeled.
Conceptual knowledge solutions. No conceptual knowledge influences were validated
and thus, there is no gap in this knowledge area.
Metacognitive knowledge solutions. No metacognitive knowledge influences were
validated and thus, there is no gap in this knowledge area.
Motivation Recommendations
Introduction. A gap in one of the three assumed motivation influences was validated
through surveys and interviews. The assumed self-efficacy motivation influence was validated.
The assumed value motivation influence and the mood motivation influence were not validated.
As indicated in Table 40, the validated influence has been given a high priority for achieving the
organization’s goal. In addition, Table 40 lists the evidence-based principles that support the
recommendation. The recommendation for each cause was based on applying the principle.
Following the table, a detailed discussion is provided for each high priority cause, the principle,
the solution, and support for the solution based in the literature.
Table 40

Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations

Assumed
Motivation
Influence
Priority
High
Low
Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific Recommendation
Value: none
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 129
Self-Efficacy:
Teachers need
to have
confidence that
they have the
skills
necessary to
teach
effectively with
EL students.
High Self-efficacy, or
the belief in their
capacity, is a top
factor in a
person’s
commitment to
the organization’s
goal (Clark &
Estes, 2008;
Pajares, 2006).

Improved
performance is a
result of feedback
that is focused on
the goals and
current progress
and does not
emphasize poor
performance
(Clark & Estes,
2008).
Provide opportunities for the teacher to
observe a mentor, and then teach the
lesson to their own students. The mentor
teacher can provide targeted feedback
which can be especially powerful in
improving function, especially when it
includes details on how to improve
instructional practice (Shute, 2008).
Mood: none

Value solutions. No value influences were validated and thus, there is no gap in this
motivation area.
Self-Efficacy solutions. Teachers need to have confidence that they have the skills
necessary to teach effectively with EL students. To be effective, self-efficacy, or the belief in
their capacity, is a top factor in a person’s commitment to the organization’s goal (Clark & Estes,
2008; Pajares, 2006). Improved performance is a result of feedback that is focused on the goals
and current progress and does not emphasize poor performance (Clark & Estes, 2008). This
would suggest that providing teachers of ELA students with opportunities for the teacher to
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 130
observe a mentor, and then teach the lesson to their own students with the mentor observing and
then providing feedback. Feedback can be powerful in improving function, especially when the
feedback includes details on how to improve instructional practice (Shute, 2008). The
recommendation then for teachers of ELA students might be to provide them with learning
opportunities that allow teachers to see effective EL instruction and have feedback provided after
teaching their own lesson to help build self-efficacy.
Pajares (2006) encourages the use of opportunities to observe credible, similar models
engaging in behavior that has functional value. Administration at Sunset Hills High School need
to provide teachers with provide goal-directed practice coupled with frequent, accurate, credible,
and targeted feedback on performance (Pajares, 2006) to improve self-efficacy levels in teachers.
As such, the recommendation being made is that teachers of ELA students would benefit from
observing and being observed, with effective feedback, resulting in increased self-efficacy.
Mood solutions. No value influences were validated and thus, there is no gap in this
motivation area.
Organization Recommendations
Introduction. Gaps in three of the seven assumed organization influences were validated
through surveys and interviews. One assumed organization resources influence was validated,
and two assumed policies, procedures, and procedures were validated. The assumed cultural
setting influences was not validated. As indicated in Table 41, each validated influence has been
given a high priority for achieving the organization’s goal. In addition, Table 41 lists the
evidence-based principles that support the recommendation. The recommendation for each cause
was based on applying the principle. Following the table, a detailed discussion is provided for
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 131
each high priority cause, the principle, the solution, and support for the solution based in the
literature.
Table 41

Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations

Assumed
Organization
Influence
Priority
High
Low
Principle and Citation Context-Specific
Recommendation
Cultural Models:
none

Cultural
Settings: none

Policies,
processes, and
Procedures:
Teachers need to
feel that the school
policies, processes
and procedures
support their
instruction.
High Effective organizations insure
that organizational messages,
rewards, policies and
procedures that govern the
work of the organization are
aligned with or are supportive
of organizational goals and
values (Clark and Estes,
2008).
Conduct an informal
audit of the school
policies, processes
and procedures to
confirm whether in
alignment or are
barriers to
supporting
instruction.
Policies,
processes, and
Procedures:
Teachers need to
feel that the
district policies,
processes and
procedures
support their
instruction.
High Effective organizations ensure
that organizational messages,
rewards, policies and
procedures that govern the
work of the organization are
aligned with or are supportive
of organizational goals and
values (Clark and Estes,
2008).
Conduct an informal
audit of the district
policies, processes
and procedures to
confirm whether
they are in alignment
or are barriers to
supporting
instruction.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 132
Resources:
Teachers need
release time to
create culturally
relevant lessons.
High Effective change efforts
ensure that everyone has the
resources (equipment,
personnel, time, etc.) needed
to do their job, and that if
there are resource shortages,
then resources are aligned
with organizational priorities
(Clark and Estes, 2008).
Allocate or shift
funds to provide
teachers with release
time.

Cultural model solutions. No cultural model influences were validated and thus, there is
no gap in this organization area.
Cultural settings solutions. No cultural settings influences were validated and thus,
there is no gap in this organization area.
Policies, processes, and procedures solutions. The data validated two organization
influences. The first is teachers need to feel that the school policies, processes and procedures
support their instruction. The second teachers need to feel that the district policies, processes and
procedures support their instruction. The first influence was determined to be more critical to
instructional practices on a daily basis and will therefore be addressed in this section. To address
this influence, effective organizations ensure that organizational messages, rewards, policies and
procedures that govern the work of the organization are aligned with or are supportive of
organizational goals and values (Clark and Estes, 2008). The recommendation then for Sunset
Hills High School is that an informal audit be conducted of the school policies, processes and
procedures to confirm whether these are in alignment or are barriers to supporting instruction.
Hoy and Woolfolk (1993) explain that in an organization with highly positive relationships, there
is often loyalty, trust, motivation, and commitment between school leaders and teachers and
which leads to the capability to achieve the organization's goals (Goddard et al., 2004; Borgogni
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 133
et al., 2011). When teachers feel confident that administration operates in a manner that creates
procedures that are supportive of, and not barriers to, implementing effective instructional
practices, they are working within an environment that supports their ability to help EL students
achieve. As such, the recommendation being made is that administration conduct an audit of the
school policies, processes and procedures.
Resources solutions. Teachers need release time to create culturally relevant lessons.
Effective change efforts ensure that everyone has the resources (equipment, personnel, time, etc.)
needed to do their job, and that if there are resource shortages, then resources are aligned with
organizational priorities (Clark and Estes, 2008). Allocating or shifting funds to provide teachers
release time would provide the opportunity to create culturally relevant lessons. The
recommendation then is that administration allocate funds to provide release time for teachers.
Thompson (2004) explains that planning time must be made a priority for schools, and
adequate time must be allotted for it within the school schedule. Studies show that teachers are
asking for more planning time and believe that additional time would be a major factor in student
learning and achievement (Merritt, 2016). In addition to planning time as a stand-alone activity
for teachers, priority must be given planning time that includes collaboration with colleagues
(Olsen, 2010). Goldenberg and Coleman (2010) argue that when teachers collaborate in a
focused and sustained manner, EL achievement increases. Important to note, planning time that
enhances student achievement is more than planning lessons for the following week, but needs to
include long term planning for the semester, for the year, and beyond (Downey et al.,2009). As
such, the recommendation being made is that teachers of ELA students would benefit from
additional release time to create culturally relevant lessons.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 134
Summary of Knowledge, Motivation and Organization Recommendations

When considering declarative knowledge recommendations, teachers need to know what
culturally relevant pedagogy is. Culturally relevant pedagogy can help improve student
achievement by being aware of and sensitive to the cultural experiences and values of EL
students, and when offered with fidelity can create a learning environment conducive to EL
achievement. Administration at Sunset Hills High School need to provide teachers of EL
students with opportunities to acquire new behaviors through demonstration and modeling
(Denler et al., 2009). As such, the recommendation being made is that teachers of ELA students
would benefit from observing lessons where the effective use of culturally relevant pedagogy is
being utilized.
For procedural knowledge recommendations, teachers need to know how to utilize
reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning methods and encourage appropriate cognitive
processing and developmental appropriateness. It is incumbent on teachers to strategically
implement strategies based on an understanding of both the students’ culture, and also on their
current capabilities (Diller & Moule, 2005). Administration at Sunset Hills High School need to
provide teachers of EL students with opportunities to acquire new behaviors through
demonstration and modeling (Denler et al, 2009). As such, the recommendation being made is
that teachers of ELA students would benefit from observing lessons where the effective use of
culturally relevant pedagogy is being utilized.
In regard to self-efficacy motivation recommendations, teachers need to have
confidence that they have the skills necessary to teach effectively with EL students. A valuable
benefit of a teacher’s high levels of self-efficacy is the confidence in achieving goals which
transfers to students, and positively impacts student motivation, achievement, and relationships
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 135
with the teacher (Eccles, 2004; Goldenberg & Coleman, 2010). Administration at Sunset Hills
High School need to provide teachers with provide goal-directed practice coupled with frequent,
accurate, credible, and targeted feedback on performance (Pajares, 2006) to improve self-
efficacy levels in teachers. As such, the recommendation being made is that teachers of ELA
students would benefit from observing and being observed, with feedback, resulting in increased
self-efficacy.
It is important to note that before the organization recommendations are applied,
administration should consider whether contractual issues may come into play. Do
recommendations comply with board policy and the teacher contract? This will vary by district
and should be considered as part of the implementation plan.
When considering organization recommendations related to policies, processes and
procedures, teachers need to feel that the school policies, processes and procedures support their
instruction. When teachers feel confident that administration operates in a manner that creates
procedures that are supportive of, and not barriers to, implementing effective instructional
practices, they are working within an environment that supports their ability to help EL students
achieve. As such, the recommendation being made is that administration conduct an audit of the
school policies, processes and procedures to confirm whether they are in alignment or are
barriers to supporting instruction.
In terms of organization recommendations related to resources, teachers need release time
to create culturally relevant lessons. Much research points to a serious lack of focus on EL needs
during teacher preparation and ongoing professional development, which needs to change as the
relation between effective professional development and student achievement has been made
clear. It is important to note that planning time that enhances student achievement is more than
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 136
planning lessons for the following week but needs to include long term planning for the
semester, for the year, and beyond (Downey et al., 2009). As such, the recommendation being
made is that teachers of ELA students would benefit from additional release time to create
culturally relevant lessons.
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan
Organizational Purpose, Need and Expectations
Sunset Hills High School strives to maximize the achievement, enrichment and
advancement of every student through the supportive efforts of a committed and dedicated staff.
The organization’s problem of practice is relatively low graduation rates of EL high school
students compared to the student average. The graduation gap indicates that SHHS is not
maximizing the achievement, enrichment and advancement of every student of every EL.
Historically, EL graduation rates at SHHS have averaged from 87% to 90%. This translates into
several hundred students over the last four years who may not be fully prepared to either enter
college or a career, much less, be equipped to conduct everyday transactions, without optimal
language skills. The goal of the organization then is to close the graduation gap. Closing the
graduation gap indicates that we are maximizing the learning, growth, and development of every
EL. The specific organizational global goal is that 100% of ELs will graduate on time. The
strategic performance goal is to close a gap of 13% by improving the graduation rate at least 2%
per year.
Implementation and Evaluation Framework
The New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016) was used to create
the integrated implementation and evaluation plan for this study. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick
(2016) suggest that the evaluation of training programs is useful for improving the programs,
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 137
transferring learning to actual work behaviors, contributing to organizational performance, and
providing evidence on the benefits of training. The Kirkpatrick model advocates that evaluation
plans start with the goals of the organization and work backwards. By starting with the
evaluation plan and moving backwards, leading indicators of the organization's goals are both
easier to identify and more closely aligned with the organization’s goals. Kirkpatrick and
Kirkpatrick define leading indicators as short-term observations and measurements that suggest
whether or not critical behaviors are on track to create desired results (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick,
2016). The reverse order of the Kirkpatrick Model allows for a three-part sequence: a) first, the
development of solution outcomes that focus on assessing work behaviors; b) the identification
of indicators that learning occurred during implementation, and c) the emergence of indicators
that organizational members are satisfied with implementation strategies. Designing the
implementation and evaluation plan in this manner creates connections between the immediate
solutions and the larger goal and solicits proximal “buy in” to ensure success (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2016). The New World Kirkpatrick Model was used to design the integrated
implementation and evaluation plan for the recommendations made in this dissertation study.
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
Leading indicators are short-term measurements that help determine whether critical
behaviors are on track to achieve the goal (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Context-specific
recommendations were identified to address the knowledge, motivation, and organization
influences, and a set of leading indicators was identified to measure the progress toward
achieving the desired goal of ELA Teachers teaching 100% of the content standards using 100%
culturally relevant pedagogy 100% of the time, as shown in Table 42.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 138
Table 42

Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes

Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes

1. Increased graduation rate
of EL students.
Data from California
School Dashboard and
school district student
information system.

Collect data annually to
compare rates of graduation
over multiple years.
2. Local teacher credential
programs increased
placement of student
teachers with ELA teachers
of EL students at Sunset
Hills HS.

Data from site student
teacher coordinator.
Collect placement and
compare placement data
each semester.
3. Administrator requests
are made from other
schools to observe Sunset
Hills HS ELA teachers of
EL students.

Visitor log data. Collect and compare visitor
log data monthly.
Internal Outcomes
1. Increase awareness of
what culturally relevant
pedagogy is.
Ability to recall and
articulate what culturally
relevant pedagogy is.
Debriefs with mentor
teacher.
2. Increase use of reciprocal
teaching and cooperative
learning methods.
Strategies are embedded in
instructional practice.
Observation checklist.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 139
3. Increase appropriate
cognitive
processing and
developmental
appropriateness in
instructional practice.
Strategies are embedded in
instructional practice.
Observation checklist.
4. Increase the collection of
performance data through
summative assessments.
The frequency of
summative assessments
given.
Debriefs with mentor
teacher.
5. Increase teachers’
confidence level with
regards to teaching
effectively with EL
students.
Perception ratings by
teachers of EL students.
Survey - Likert scale.
6. Increased teachers’
knowledge to improve
instructional practice.
Teachers attendance records
at professional development
conferences.
Collect number of
professional development
conferences attended from
teachers and school
records. .

Level 3: Behavior
Critical behaviors. Critical behaviors are specific, observable, and measurable actions
that translate learning into desired outcomes and if performed with fidelity and done in a
specific, observable, and measurable manner, will have a significant impact on the outcome
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). The first critical behavior is that teachers will create and
teach lessons that address all the ELA content standards and are culturally relevant. The second
critical behavior is that teachers will create a caring and positive classroom atmosphere. The
third critical behavior is that teaches will use strategies such as reciprocal teaching and allow
students to lead class discussions, giving students a voice and a sense of empowerment in their
learning. The fourth critical behavior is that teachers will use cooperative learning activities that
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 140
foster and develop collaborative skills. The final critical behavior is that teachers will encourage
appropriate cognitive processing by assisting the learner to activate prior knowledge and process
relevant material. The specific metrics, methods, and timing for each outcome behaviors appear
in Table 43.
Table 43

Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metric(s) Method(s) Timing
1. Create and teach lessons that
address all the ELA content
standards and are culturally
relevant.
The number of
lessons that address
the ELA content
standards and are
culturally relevant.
Document
analysis.
During
monthly
department
collaboration
time.
2. Create a caring and positive
classroom atmosphere.
Likert Scale Student
response.
Survey At the end of
each
semester.
3. Use strategies such as
reciprocal teaching and allow
students to lead class
discussions, giving students a
voice and a sense of
empowerment in their learning.
The number of
lessons that
incorporate reciprocal
teaching and allow
students to lead class
discussions.
Document
analysis.
During
monthly
department
collaboration
time.

4. Use cooperative learning
activities that foster and develop
collaborative skills.
The number of
lessons that use
cooperative learning
activities that foster
and develop
collaborative skills.
Document
analysis.
During
monthly
department
collaboration
time.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 141
5. Encourage appropriate
cognitive processing by assisting
the learner to activate prior
knowledge and process relevant
material.
The number of
lessons that use
cooperative learning
activities that foster
and develop
collaborative skills.
Document
analysis.
During
monthly
department
collaboration
time.

Required drivers. Required drivers are the accountability systems that support the
efforts towards executing the critical behavior (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). In conjunction
with the context-specific recommendations that address the knowledge, motivation, and
organization influences, corresponding drivers were designed to encourage, support and monitor
critical behaviors. The specific methods, timing and critical behaviors supported appear in
Table 44.
Table 44
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing Critical Behaviors
Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Reinforcing
Department meeting debriefs. Monthly. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Provide professional development. Ongoing. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Encouraging
Provide mentoring opportunities that include
modeling and feedback.
Ongoing. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Administration provides positive, informal
feedback on performance.
Ongoing. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 142
Rewarding
Students provide feedback on progress through
surveys (Likert Scale).
At the end of
each semester.
2, 3
Principal publicly acknowledges progress in
achieving the goal.
Monthly. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Monitoring
Department coordinator and administration
conduct informal observations.
Ongoing. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Grade-level self-monitoring during department
time.
Monthly. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Organizational support. The implementation of the organization recommendations will
support the required drivers and lead to the critical behaviors. Effective organizations insure that
organizational messages, rewards, policies and procedures that govern the work of the
organization are aligned with or are supportive of organizational goals and values (Clark and
Estes, 2008). Thus, the organization will conduct an informal audit of the school and district
policies, processes and procedures to confirm whether in alignment or are barriers to supporting
instruction. In addition, effective change efforts ensure that everyone has the resources
(equipment, personnel, time, etc.) needed to do their job, and that if there are resource shortages,
then resources are aligned with organizational priorities (Clark and Estes, 2008). Thus, the
organization will allocate or shift funds to provide teachers with release time.
Level 2: Learning
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) explain that learning is the extent to which the
learners embrace what is being taught. Confidence and commitment are important elements to
ensure that the learning is effective. Confidence is the level of certainty one has in doing what is
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 143
taught, while commitment is the level of effort the learner will apply what is taught (Kirkpatrick
& Kirkpatrick, 2016).
Learning goals. After implementing the recommended solutions, the stakeholders will be
able to:
1. Explain / define culturally relevant pedagogy (declarative factual).
2. Apply concepts of culturally relevant pedagogy to instruction and use
feedback cycle to improve practice (procedural).
3. Generate lessons that utilize reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning
methods and use feedback cycle to improve practice (procedural).
4. Demonstrate instructional practice that incorporates appropriate cognitive
processing and developmental appropriateness and use feedback cycle to
improve practice (procedural).
5. Apply the steps needed to collect performance data through summative
assessments (procedural).
6. Be confident that you have the skills necessary to teach effectively with EL
students (self-efficacy).

Following the implementation of the program, teachers will need to know the following
in order to perform the critical behaviors. First, teachers need to know what culturally relevant
pedagogy is. Second, teachers need to know how to utilize reciprocal teaching and cooperative
learning methods and encourage appropriate cognitive processing and developmental
appropriateness. Third, teachers need to be able to collect performance data through summative
assessments. Lastly, teachers need to have confidence that they have the skills necessary to teach
effectively with EL students.
Program. The learning goals provided in the previous section will be achieved through
professional development training and a mentoring program that will help increase the
knowledge and motivation of the learners, ELA teachers of EL students, to meet the
organization’s goal of all ELA teachers will teach 100% of the grade level language arts content
with 100% culturally relevant pedagogy 100% of the time. In order to develop teachers’
knowledge and skills, they will be provided with professional development training. This will
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 144
take place during the staff development days before the school year begins, and at the end of the
first semester. To assist with the planning and implementation of the program, the site Staff
Development Committee will be instrumental in developing on-site professional development to
support the implementation of program. In addition, professional development will take place
monthly during school-wide training meetings. A bi-weekly mentoring program will also be
implemented that will provide opportunities for teacher observations and a feedback cycle to
improve instructional practice. The mentoring program will also serve to improve teacher self-
efficacy and instill the confidence that they have the skills necessary to teach effectively with EL
students. Teacher achievement in the critical behaviors will be rewarded in two ways. First, at
the end of each semester, students will be given an opportunity to provide feedback through
Likert scale surveys. Second, the principal will, on a monthly basis, publicly acknowledge
progress in achieving the goal.
Evaluation of the components of learning. To successfully achieve the organization’s
goal, teachers need to have certain declarative knowledge and procedural skills. Teachers need to
also have the attitude, confidence, and the commitment to achieve the organization’s goals. To
ensure that teachers have the knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment, the
organization needs to assess the learning and growth of teacher capacity. Table 45 lists the
evaluation methods and timing for the learning components.
Table 45
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program.
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Declarative Knowledge “I know it.”
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 145
Knowledge checks using a formative / summative assessment
tool.
During and after.
Knowledge checks through individual and group activities. During and after.
Pre-observation meetings. Before.
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.”
Checklist during observation of mentor with debrief. During and after.
Checklist during observation by mentor with debrief. During and after.
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.”
Discussions about the value and rationale. During.
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.”
Discussion with mentor group regarding concerns, barriers, etc. Before.
Debrief post-observation of / by mentor. After.
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”
Share with success stories with colleagues. After.

Level 1: Reaction
Reaction is the extent to which the learners react in a positive manner to the learning, and
include elements of customer satisfaction, relevance, and engagement (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2016). This will be assessed through a variety of methods and timings. Table 46 lists
the methods used to determine the learners’ reaction to the learning events, and the timing of the
methods.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 146
Table 46

Components to Measure Reactions to the Program.
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement
Attendance rate. During professional development.
Active interaction during group activities. During professional development.
Professional development evaluation. After professional development.
Relevance
Professional development evaluation. After professional development.
Debrief with mentor groups. During and after observation cycle.
Customer Satisfaction
Professional development evaluation. After professional development.
Mentor group evaluation. After observation cycle.

Evaluation Tools
Immediately following the program implementation. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick
recommend two types of evaluation tools; immediate and delayed. Immediate evaluation tools
should be implemented immediately after the learning to provide immediate data. Delayed
evaluation tools should be implemented after the drivers have most likely been engaged and
adequate time has passed for the learners to apply what has been learned. Immediate evaluation
tools will utilize a combination of Likert Scale questions and short answer questions, asking
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 147
learners to respond to a survey (see Appendix D) at the end of the learning activity. Learners will
be asked to respond to Level 1 reaction prompts to the learning activity that will include
feedback on engagement, relevance, and customer satisfaction. Learners will also be asked to
respond to Level 2 reaction prompts to the learning activity that will include feedback on
declarative knowledge, attitude, confidence, and commitment.
Delayed for a period after the program implementation. Delayed evaluation tools will
be implemented after the drivers have most likely been engaged and adequate time has passed
for the learners to apply what has been learned. Delayed evaluation tools will utilize a
combination of Likert Scale questions and short answer questions, asking learners to respond to a
survey (see Appendix E) 60 days after each learning activity. Learners will be asked to respond
to Level 1, 2, 3, and 4 reaction prompts to the learning activity. Level 1 reaction prompts will
include feedback on engagement, relevance, customer satisfaction. Level 2 reaction prompts will
include feedback on declarative knowledge, attitude, confidence, and commitment. Level 3
reaction prompts will include feedback on the extent to which the learner is engaging in critical
behaviors. Level 4 reaction prompts will assess the level to which the learner is reaching the
organizational goal.
Data Analysis and Reporting

The Level 4 goal for ELA teachers of ELA students would be measured by the frequency
of the desired behaviors in:
1. I believe it will be worthwhile to apply what I learned to my instructional
practice.
2. I feel confident about applying what I learned to my instructional practice.
3. I will apply what I have learned to my instructional practice.
4. I have seen a positive impact as a result of applying what I learned to my
instructional practice.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 148
Data would be gathered from the immediate and delayed evaluation tool survey (see
Appendix D and E) administered after the program implementation. The dashboard (see
Appendix F) would be used to share the data on these measures as a monitoring and
accountability tool. Additional dashboards would be developed to monitor the Level 1, 2, and 3
results.
Summary of the Implementation and Evaluation
The New World Kirkpatrick Model provides the model for the implementation and
evaluation of this study (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick’s four
levels of training and evaluation are used to determine that school site administrators have the
knowledge, motivation, and organizational support to provide data on perceived barriers to
developing and recommending strategies to assist teachers in teaching the content standards
using culturally relevant pedagogy to increase EL graduation rates. According to this model, the
training program begins with the identification of outcomes, metrics, and methods to measure the
results of the targeted outcomes that are integrated with the organization’s goals. Next, the
program established the critical behaviors to assess if teachers are using the training that they
received once they are working with students. Learning outcomes are identified and teachers are
evaluated on their learning and knowledge, attitude, commitment, and confidence during the
training. Finally, methods to assess how teachers are reacting and implementing training were
developed to determine the participants’ satisfaction, engagement, and the relevance of the
training. To implement change and maximize program results it is critical to evaluate and
analyze data collection during program implementation.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 149
Limitations and Delimitations
The design of this study resulted in several limitations and delimitations. First, while the
relatively small participation rate was adequate to be representative of the stakeholders at Sunset
Hills High School, a limit is that it may not be generalizable or transferable to other high schools
whose organizational goal may differ. Second, the study was delimited by examining the
perspectives on one stakeholder group, ELA teachers of EL students. Third, because the study
addresses ELA teachers of EL students, it may not be generalizable to other subject areas.
Finally, the study was limited by the design of the survey and interview instruments as the
validity and reliability of the instruments were not tested across multiple studies.
Recommendations for Future Research
The current study focused on teachers at one high school as the stakeholder group. Future
studies could consider comparing several similar high schools, or even a whole district, to
substantially increase the sample size and improve the generalizability of the findings. In
addition, future studies could examine more deeply the assumed influences, such as what school
or district policies, processes, and procedures are serving as barriers to their instructional
practices when working with EL students. Another area for future study would be in regard to
exploring effective professional development for teachers who work with EL students. Finally, it
should be noted that there are many factors influencing graduation rates internal and external to
SHHS, and this study focused on a particular set of practices within the school, and not on the
needs of EL students themselves. Thus, future studies could consider the graduation gap in terms
of the external barriers EL students face related to conditions such as socioeconomic status,
parental support, etc.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 150
Conclusion

The problem of practice addressed in this study are the perceived barriers to teachers in
teaching the content standards using culturally relevant pedagogy to increase EL graduation
rates. This improvement model study focused on improving ELA teachers of EL students’
instructional practice. By applying the Clarke and Estes (2008) Gap Analysis framework, the
study examined the validated influences of knowledge, motivation, and organization that were
leading to graduation rates for EL students that were lower than that of all other students at
Sunset Hills High School. Teachers, rather than students, were selected as the stakeholder in the
hopes that by improving the instructional practices of teachers, longer lasting and more
permanent improvement would occur, helping to decrease the graduation gap for many years to
come.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 151
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Appendix A
Informed Consent/Information Sheet
University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education
3470 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles CA, 90089

Examining Teachers’ Roles in English Learners’ Achievement in Language Arts:
A Gap Analysis

You are invited to participate in a research study. Research studies include only people who
voluntarily choose to take part. This document explains information about this study. You should
ask questions about anything that is unclear to you.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
This study aims to address the causes of the barriers present for ELA teachers in successfully
building capacity in EL students so that they graduate at a higher rate, thus closing the
graduation rate between EL students and all other students.

PARTICIPANT INVOLVEMENT
If you agree to take part in this study, you will be asked to answer a survey and participate in a
one-on-one interview.

CONFIDENTIALITY
There will be no identifiable information obtained in connection with this study. Your name,
address or other identifiable information will not be collected.

Required language:
The members of the research team, the funding agency and the University of Southern
California’s Human Subjects Protection Program (HSPP) may access the data. The HSPP
reviews and monitors research studies to protect the rights and welfare of research subjects.

INVESTIGATOR CONTACT INFORMATION
The Principal Investigator is Josh Lamar, JLamar@usc.edu.
The Faculty Advisors are Kenneth Yates, Ed.D., kennetay@usc.edu, (310) 963-0946 and
Melora Sundt, Ph.D., sundt@usc.edu, (310) 403-6671.

IRB CONTACT INFORMATION University Park Institutional Review Board (UPIRB), 3720
South Flower Street #301, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0702, (213) 821-5272 or upirb@usc.edu

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 159
Appendix B
Survey Items

1. Select the correct grade 9/10 ELA writing standard:

a. Use vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.
b. Use language to manage the complexity of the topic.
c. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the
topic.
d. Use language and vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.
e. None of the above

2. Mark all that apply. Culturally relevant pedagogy can be described as:
a. positive teacher student relationships.
b. high teacher expectations for student learning.
c. only about celebrating cultural holidays.
d. being aware of and sensitive to the cultural experiences and values of EL students.
e. none of the above.

3. Select all that apply: Culturally relevant pedagogy includes:

a. scaffolding
b. varied learning tasks
c. access to texts
d. student culture
e. none of the above

4.Which of the following enhance learning and transfer? Check all that apply:

a. Reflection and sharing.
b. Use of a variety of learning media.
c. Formative assessments.
d. Collaboration.
e. Using only the textbook.

5. The following strategies help EL students improve achievement. Select all that apply.

a. Positive teacher student relationships.
b. Reading novels out loud in class.
c. Engaging in teacher-parent communication.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 160
d. High expectations for all students.
e. Most lessons taught using direct instruction.

6. A first step in developing teacher student relationships is:

a. Greeting them at the door.
b. Creating a profile of every student in the class.
c. Having a secret handshake with each student.
d. Telling each student “goodbye” at the end of class.

7. Developing positive teacher student relationships mainly impacts: (select all that apply)

a. student behavior
b. student achievement
c. classroom atmosphere
d. a student’s penmanship
e. None of the above

8. A large portion of the class has trouble understanding the textbook. An appropriate learning
strategy would be:
a. Copy the chapter in a notebook.
b. Read the chapter out loud.
c. Divide the class into groups, they summarize a portion of the chapter and then share with
the class.
d. Read the chapter silently at home.
e. For homework, answer the question at the end of the chapter.

9. To encourage appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness during
instruction, I could: (mark all that apply)

a. Scaffold the writing process.
b. Differentiate instruction.
c. Assign college level novels.
d. Model writing skills.
e. None of the above.
10. To collect formative assessment data, I could: (mark all that apply)

a. Students read a chapter from the text.
b. Have students compare and contrast a topic using a Venn diagram.
c. Have students complete a short quiz.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 161
d. Thumbs up or down after teacher asks a question.
e. None of the above.

11. To collect summative assessment data, I could: (mark all that apply)

a. Review state-mandated exam scores.
b. Cold call on students.
c. Assign end-of-unit or -chapter tests.
d. Review district benchmark assessment scores.
e. None of the above.

12. I reflect on my practice by using data to inform instruction.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

13. Formative assessments help me reflect on instruction during a unit by: (mark all that apply)

a. Gathering data of learning during a lesson.
b. Gathering data to determine what each student has learned.
c. Gathering data to determine what needs to be retaught.
d. None of the above.

14. Summative assessments help me reflect on instruction after a unit by: (mark all that apply)

a. Gathering data of learning after a unit.
b. Gathering data to determine what each student has learned.
c. Gathering data to determine what needs to be retaught.
d. None of the above.

15. When all of your teacher responsibilities are considered, please indicate to what degree you
value the needs of your EL students.

a. Highly value.
b. Value.
c. Neither value nor no value.
d. No value.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 162
e. Highly no value.

16. I am confident that I can teach EL students effectively.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

17. Overall, I am satisfied with my job as a teacher.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

18. I feel personally and professionally fulfilled as a teacher.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

19. I feel positive about my ability to persist through barriers and challenges I may face in
working with EL students to achieve the organizational goal.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

20. In general, I have the resources I need to create to help me teach ELA content to my EL
students.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 163
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

21. I currently have the release time I need to create culturally relevant lessons to help me teach
ELA content to my EL students.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

22. I have funds to engage in professional development to help me teach ELA content to my EL
students.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

23. I have all the textbooks, supplemental instructional materials, and supplies that I need to
successfully teach ELA content to my EL students.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

24. I am familiar with the school policies, processes and procedures that relate to the
implementation of EL instructional practices.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 164
25. I am familiar with the district policies, processes and procedures that relate to the
implementation of EL instructional practices.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

26. I believe the school policies, processes and procedures support the implementation of
effective EL instructional practices.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

27. I believe the district policies, processes and procedures support the implementation of
effective EL instructional practices.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

28. The culture of my school aligns with and enhances positive teacher student relationships.

a. Strongly agree.
b. Agree.
c. Neither agree nor disagree.
d. Disagree.
e. Strongly disagree.

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 165
Appendix C
Interview Protocol

1.What is your understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy?
2. What are some of the EL strategies, principles and models of culturally relevant pedagogy that
you are familiar with?
3. In what way do you embed activities that are similar to your EL students’ cultural settings and
will enhance learning and transfer?
4. What are your thoughts about the relationship between culturally relevant pedagogy and
student achievement?
5. What is your comfort level in developing positive teacher student relationships?
6. In what ways do you utilize reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning methods with EL
students?
7. How do you encourage appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness?
8. What are the methods you use to collect performance data?
9. Describe how you reflect on your practice by using data to inform instruction.
10. What are some ways you have reflected on your practice by using data to inform instruction?
11. Describe your confidence levels in terms of your skills needed to teach EL students
effectively.
12. Describe your feelings towards your ability to persist through barriers and challenges you
may face in working with EL students to achieve the organizational goal.
13. In what ways do you or do you not feel positive about your ability to persist through barriers
and challenges you may face in working with EL students to achieve the organizational goal?
14. Describe the resources you have that facilitate learning for your EL students.
15. If you have release time to create culturally relevant lessons, describe how it is structured. If
you do not, how would you structure it?
16. Describe the professional development opportunities you have participated in regarding EL
students.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 166
17. In what areas of working with EL students would you like to receive professional
development?
18. Describe the textbooks, supplemental instructional materials, and supplies that assist you in
teaching ELA content to your EL students.
19. What additional items would be helpful?

20. In what ways do you or do you not feel that the school and district procedures support your
instruction of EL students?

21. What additional school or district policies, processes and procedures that relate to EL
instructional practices would you like to see implemented?

22. Describe the ways in which the culture of your school aligns with and enhances positive
teacher student relationships.

23. In what ways do you develop positive teacher student relationships?

24. In what ways could your school improve its culture to increase positive teacher student
relationships?

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 167
Appendix D
Evaluation Tool
Level 1 and 2
Immediately Following the Learning

1. The professional development session held my interest. (engagement)
A) Strongly agree. B) Agree. C) Neither agree nor disagree. D) Disagree. E) Strongly disagree

2. I understand how to apply what I learned to my instructional practice. (relevance)
A) Strongly agree. B) Agree. C) Neither agree nor disagree. D) Disagree. E) Strongly disagree

3. I would be glad to help my colleagues with what I learned. (customer satisfaction)
A) Strongly agree. B) Agree. C) Neither agree nor disagree. D) Disagree. E) Strongly disagree

4. What were the most meaningful concepts that you learned? (declarative knowledge)
_______________________________________________________________________

5. I believe it will be worthwhile to apply what I learned to my instructional practice. (attitude)
A) Strongly agree. B) Agree. C) Neither agree nor disagree. D) Disagree. E) Strongly disagree

6. I feel confident about applying what I learned to my instructional practice. (confidence)
A) Strongly agree. B) Agree. C) Neither agree nor disagree. D) Disagree. E) Strongly disagree

7. I will apply what I have learned to my instructional practice. (commitment)
A) Strongly agree. B) Agree. C) Neither agree nor disagree. D) Disagree. E) Strongly disagree

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 168
Appendix E
Evaluation Tool
Level 1, 2, 3 and 4
60 Days After the Learning

1. The professional development session was a good use of my time. (relevance)
A) Strongly agree. B) Agree. C) Neither agree nor disagree. D) Disagree. E) Strongly disagree

2. What information was the most relevant to improving your instructional practice? (relevance)
_______________________________________________________________________

3. Looking back, what would you change about the professional development? (customer
satisfaction)
_______________________________________________________________________

4. Looking back, what content do you remember the most? (declarative knowledge)
_______________________________________________________________________

5. I believe it was important for me to attend this professional development. (attitude)
A) Strongly agree. B) Agree. C) Neither agree nor disagree. D) Disagree. E) Strongly disagree

6. I feel confident that I have been able to successfully apply what I learned to my instructional
practice. (confidence)
A) Strongly agree. B) Agree. C) Neither agree nor disagree. D) Disagree. E) Strongly disagree

7. What additional professional development do you need to increase your effectiveness? (Level
3)
_______________________________________________________________________

8. I have seen a positive impact as a result of applying what I learned to my instructional
practice. (Level 4)
A) Strongly agree. B) Agree. C) Neither agree nor disagree. D) Disagree. E) Strongly disagree

TEACHERS’ ROLES IN ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT 169
Appendix F
Level 4 Dashboard

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This study utilized the gap analysis problem-solving framework (Clark & Estes, 2008) in order to develop strategies for how to close the graduation rate gap among EL students as compared to all other students at Sunset Hills High School. The purpose of the study was to identify whether knowledge, motivation, and/or organizational barriers were contributing to the gap. A mixed method approach was used to collect data. The stakeholders for this study were twenty-three English Language Arts teachers from SHHS, grades 9-12, who had at least one designated EL student in their class. In addition to the quantitative survey, 4 SHHS teachers were interviewed to gain a more in-depth understanding of the perceived causes for the gaps in knowledge and skills, motivation, and organization culture. The surveys and interviews helped validate assumed causes that were hypothesized after reviewing scholarly literature. That validated assumed causes for knowledge were that teachers need to know what culturally relevant pedagogy is, teachers need to know how to utilize reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning methods, and encourage appropriate cognitive processing and developmental appropriateness, and teachers need to know how to collect performance data through formative assessments. The validated assumed causes for motivation was that teachers need to have confidence that they have the skills necessary to teach effectively with EL students. The validated assumed causes for organization barriers were that teachers need release time to create culturally relevant lessons, and teachers need to feel that school and district policies, processes and procedures support their instruction. Solutions to close the validated causes were developed. The use of the gap analysis framework (Clark & Estes, 2008) in this study demonstrates one approach a school could use to guide their organization in reaching the graduation rate goal.

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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

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Asset Metadata

Creator Lamar, Joshua Michael (author)

Core Title Examining teachers' roles in English learners achievement in language arts: a gap analysis

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 06/21/2018

Defense Date 03/16/2018

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag ELs,English language arts,English learners,gap analysis,High School,OAI-PMH Harvest,Teachers

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Sundt, Melora (committee chair), Yates, Kenneth (committee chair), McLaughlin, Steve (committee member)

Creator Email jlamar@usc.edu,sthcst@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-505548

Unique identifier UC11267243

Identifier etd-LamarJoshu-6341.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-505548 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-LamarJoshu-6341.pdf

Dmrecord 505548

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Lamar, Joshua Michael

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA