Educator Self-Efficacy in Implementing College Readiness Curriculum for English Language Learners: A Qualitative Hermeneutical Phenomenology

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the self-efficacious perspectives integrating college readiness among English Language Learners for K-12 educator professionals at schools in the Southcentral United States. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, which guides the research by providing the facets of educator self-efficacy that were used to design research and interview questions. Self-efficacy theory breaks down into four parts: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological feedback. The central research question of this research was: What are the self-efficacious experiences of K-12 educator professionals integrating college readiness for English language learner students? This hermeneutical phenomenology was conducted using purposeful and snowball sampling in the Southcentral United States. The data collection process included three forms of evidence: a survey of teacher self-efficacy, individual semi-structured interviews, and physical artifacts. The data was analyzed thematically utilizing a bottom-up approach. It was found that participating educator professionals had varied levels of self-efficacy in implementing college readiness instruction for ELLs depending on various propensities towards collaboration and instructional techniques.