Non-ESL High School Teachers’ Instructional Training and Professional Development Needs and Their Emergent Bilingual Student Classrooms

The U.S. emergent bilingual student population continues to grow and is projected to increase nationwide. The growing population of students has specific academic and social needs that need to be addressed and provided for emergent bilingual students to be successful. This qualitative case study examined the instructional needs of high school non-English as a second language (ESL) teachers who serve emergent bilingual students and how the district can support the instructional practices of high school teachers in an urban school district in Texas. The problem addressed in this study was the lack of instructional training and professional development for secondary non-ESL teachers who serve emergent bilingual students. The researcher collected data in this qualitative case study through semistructured, one-on-one interviews, a questionnaire, and a review of the district framework of ESL teachers and program descriptions. The sample consisted of 12 non-ESL high school classroom teachers. The findings revealed that the non-ESL high school teachers were not provided sufficient professional development to support their emergent bilingual students, and they did not understand the ESL program itself. Furthermore, participants indicated a lack of guidance from their respective campus administrators and revealed low teacher efficacy among the sample group. Additional findings revealed a disconnection between the non-ESL teachers and the campus ESL teachers and their lack of awareness of the campus ESL teacher. These findings suggest an intentional approach to providing professional development, ESL programs, and teacher misconceptions, as well as increasing teacher efficacy and campus leadership taking charge of their emergent bilingual students and teachers. Also, addressing the needs of high school non-ESL teachers requires a comprehensive approach that includes specific and relevant professional development, utilizes the ESL teacher(s) as an instructional leader, and creates professional learning communities or with campus administrators. These findings provide teachers, schools, and administrators with additional insight into the instructional needs of non-ESL teachers and their emergent bilingual student classrooms and contribute to their ability to close the gap in emergent bilingual education. Keywords: emergent bilingual, education, high school, teachers, instructional needs, professional development.