HE, YE, Ph.D. The Application of the ABC’s Model in ESL Teacher Education: Patterns and Effects. (2005) Directed by Dr. Barbara B. Levin. 308 pp. In order to increase English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers’ cultural diversity awareness, this study applied Schmidt’s ABC’s (Autobiography, Biography, and Cross-cultural Comparison) Model to an ESL teacher education course and described the patterns and effects of the adaptation. The Multicultural Attitude Survey and the Cultural Diversity Awareness Inventory were conducted in a pre/post manner with 17 participants. The results showed a significant difference (p<.01) between teachers’ pre and post scores, indicating higher levels of cultural diversity awareness and perceptions of better preparedness for multicultural classrooms among the participants after conducting the ABC’s project. Qualitative analysis was then conducted to illustrate the development of cultural diversity awareness of eight individual teachers with different cross-cultural and teaching experiences. Group comparisons were provided to capture the impact of teachers’ cross- cultural and teaching experiences on their development. Hones’ (1999) model of teachers’ cultural roles was applied in the analysis of this study. The results of the study indicated that teachers’ cross-cultural experiences and their teaching experiences strongly impact their development of cultural diversity awareness in conducting the ABC’s project. It was confirmed that the adaptation of the ABC’s model facilitated the development of ESL teachers’ cultural roles. Hones’ model was also modified and expanded based on the empirical data. THE APPLICATION OF THE ABC’S MODEL IN ESL TEACHER EDUCATION: PATTERNS AND EFFECTS by Ye He A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Greensboro 2005 Approved by ____________________________ Committee Chair APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair __________________________________ Committee Members _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _____________________________ Date of Acceptance by Committee _____________________________ Date of Final Oral Examination ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS With special thanks to Dr. Barbara B. Levin for her guidance and feedback. Additional thanks to my committee members Drs. Terry A. Ackerman, David B. Strahan, and Jewell E. Cooper for giving their time to assist me in this endeavor. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………..vi LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………...vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...1 Demographic Mismatch……………………………………………………….1 Statement of the Problem……………………………………………………...4 Theoretical Framework of the Study………………………………………….4 Purpose of the Study…………………………………………………………11 Research Questions………………………………………………………..…12 Definition of Key Terms……………………………………………………..13 Role of the Researcher……………………………………………………….16 Significance of the Study…………………………………………………….19 Delimitations and Limitations………………………………………………..19 Organization of the Study…………………………………………………....20 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE……………………………………………...22 Culture and Language……………………………………………………….22 Cultural Teaching in Language Education…………………………………31 ESL Teachers in Culture Teaching……………………………………..........51 ESL Teachers as Adult Learners……………………………………………58 ESL Teachers as Cultural Learners…………………………………………..69 III. METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………78 Research Design…………………………………………………………...…78 Research Questions…………………………………………………………..81 Settings……………………………………………………………………….81 Participants…………………………………………………………………...82 Data Collection Procedures……………………………………………….….84 Data Analysis and Interpretation………………………………………….....89 Credibility, Dependability and Confirmability……………………………....93 Ethical Issues……………………………………………………………...…96 Limitations of Methodology……………………………………………...….97 iv IV. RESULTS………………………………………………………………………..98 Research Question 1: Overall Change of Teacher Perceptions……………...98 Research Question 2: Development of Cultural Diversity Awareness……..113 Research Question 3: Teacher Cultural Roles……………………………...224 V. DISCUSSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS…………………………………….....245 Discussions of the Results………………………………………………….246 Implications to ESL Teacher Education……………………………………254 ABC’s Project in ESL Teacher Education………………………………….261 Limitations………………………………………………………………….265 Future Research…………………………………………………………….266 Summary and Conclusion…………………………………………………..268 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………270 APPENDIX A. CONSENT FORMS…………………………………………………...287 APPENDIX B. HISTORY OF CULTURAL TEACHING……………………….……291 APPENDIX C. MULTICULTURAL ATTITUDE SURVEY………………………....292 APPENDIX D. CULTURAL DIVERSITY AWARENESS INVENTORY…………...293 APPENDIX E. INTERIVEW PROTOCOL…………………………………………....295 APPENDIX F. ANALYSIS OF TEACHERS’ CULTURAL ROLES…………………296 APPENDIX G. ABC’S PROJECT ADMINISTRATION………………..……………297 APPENDIX H. DATA ANALYSIS MAP……………………………………………..300 v LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Potential Cultural Roles for Teachers (Hones, 1999)…………………………..16 Table 2. Sampling..............................................................................................................84 Table 3. Crosswalk……………………………………………………………………….91 Table 4. t-test Results (items)……………………………………………………….....100 Table 5. t-test Results (subscales)………………………………………………………101 Table 6. Responses Regarding General Cultural Awareness…………………………...103 Table 7. Responses Regarding the Culturally Diverse Family…………………………105 Table 8. Responses Regarding Cross-cultural Communication………………………..107 Table 9. Responses Regarding Assessment…………………………………………….108 Table 10. Responses Regarding Creating Multicultural Environment…………………110 Table 11. Potential Cultural Roles for Teachers (Expanded)…………………………..227 Table 12. Development of Teacher Cultural Roles ……………………………………242 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………………6 Figure 2. Language and Culture (Halliday, 1991)……………………………………….28 Figure 3. MAS Subscale Comparions (pre/post)……………………………………….102 Figure 4. CDAI Profile-Vickie…………………………………………………………121 Figure 5. CDAI Profile-Penni…………………………………………………………..134 Figure 6. CDAI Profile-Lesley…………………………………………………………147 Figure 7. CDAI Profile-Sue…………………………………………………………….158 Figure 8. CDAI Profile-Amy…………………………………………………………...168 Figure 9. CDAI Profile-Catherine……………………………………………………....177 Figure 10. CDAI Profile-Tania…………………………………………………….…...187 Figure 11. CDAI Profile-Ashley………………………………………………………..197 Figure 12. Participant Grouping………………………………………………………..206 Figure 13. CDAI Pre Response Comparison…………………………………………...212 Figure 14. CDAI Post Response Comparison…………………………………………..214 Figure 15. CDAI Pre/Post Comparison………………………………………………...222 vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This chapter introduces the research problem of this study with a description of the demographic mismatch in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) education. Based on the theoretical framework of the study, the purpose of the research, general research questions, and definition of key terms are then provided. Finally, the significance and limitations of the study are discussed and a brief organization of this study is provided. Demographic Mismatch It is estimated that in 1850, 1 in 70 people in the U.S. were foreign-born, compared with 1 in 20 in the 1950s and 1960s, 1 in 13 in 2000, and a projected 1 in 7 people in 2020 (Garcia, 2000). The 2000 U.S. Census results suggest “the nation is the most ethnically and racially varied in modern times” (Rosenblatt, 2001, p. A16). Presently, nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population lives in households where a second language is spoken (Garcia, 2000). Of particular importance to the U.S. educational community is the number of school-age children who are second-language learners. According to Faltis (2001), …without counting the children of undocumented workers from other countries, the population of children for whom English is a second language was conservatively projected to have reached 3.5 million by the year 2000 and to approach 6 million by 2020. (p. 11) 1 In fact, ethnic groups once labeled minorities will soon become majorities, especially in densely populated urban areas (Garcia, 2000). It is predicted that in 2026, the racial composition of America’s schools will mirror the opposite of what it was in 1990 when 70% of the student population were White. Further extrapolations of these data suggest that by the year 2000, U. S. schools were educating 6 million K-12 students who were second language learners, and by 2026, this same population will comprise 25% of U.S. classrooms (Garcia, 2000). In contrast to the increasing ethnic and cultural diversity among the student population currently prevalent in U.S. K-12 classrooms, classroom teachers are typically White and are most likely monolingual — that is, English is their first and only language (Garcia, 2000). Additionally, they are ill prepared to teach students from diverse cultures, communicate in different languages, and work with various levels of academic abilities among ESL students. While mainstream teachers may have accepted the challenge of working with second language learners, either willingly or by default, “relatively few are prepared to teach children who are becoming bilingual along with monolingual children who speak the language of the teacher” (Faltis, 2001, p.5). Research examining this phenomenon indicates that mainstream teachers actually know very little concerning what types of classroom strategies may benefit second language learners (Penfield, 1987). Conversely, “ESL training, personal experience with other cultures, [and] contact with ESL students” appear to significantly correlate to a positive attitude toward English Language Learners (ELLs) and toward ESL inclusion into the classroom (Youngs & Youngs, 2001 as cited in Reeves, 2002, p. 23). 2