The CATESOL Journal

This study describes the ways 1 elementary school is attempting to address the needs of its English learner students and their families, the majority of whom are Latinx, through a multipronged approach that includes targeted academic instruction, the adoption of schoolwide values and behavioral expectations, a significant family-community outreach program, and teacher professional development in traumasensitive schooling and instruction. The authors share analyses and findings from data gathered through classroom and school event observations, separate focus groups of students and parents, interviews with key stakeholders, questionnaires from school personnel and parents, and publicly available school-level data. Implications for educators are shared with the goal of creating spaces and contexts where English learner students and their families succeed and indeed thrive.

Research on teaching and learning in TESOL has incorporated student opinions and student voices in a variety of ways. However, it is relatively rare to see studies that query students after they have exited a language program and can reflect more objectively on their experiences. The survey described in this article was sent to university second language (L2) students who had completed a required English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program for 1st-year multilingual students 1 to 3 years earlier. Students were asked to evaluate their experiences with the EAP program in general, to comment on specific elements of the program that they had enjoyed or that they felt needed improvement, and to assess whether, in their opinion, the EAP classes had helped them succeed in subsequent writing classes (or classes that involved substantial writing). In this article, I describe the program, curricular features that were being evaluated, the survey responses (N = 355), and changes to the EAP program that are already under way as a result of the findings. I also discuss how the evaluation process we undertook can be valuable to other language and writing programs wishing to assess their own effectiveness.

Sharing the same theoretical basis of extensive reading, extensive listening refers to learner exposure to a great deal of comprehensible spoken input. While the effectiveness of extensive reading has been widely acknowledged in many countries, empirical support of extensive listening is limited. This small-scale study adopted a mixed-method approach to compare the effects of teacher-guided listening instruction and extensive listening on EFL learners’ listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. Twenty-six EFL adult learners were divided into 2 groups. One group received teacher-guided listening instruction (n =14), whereas the other practiced extensive listening (n = 12). All participants were tested on listening comprehension and vocabulary knowledge before, immediately after, and 3 months after the training period; 4 of them were interviewed after the training. The quantitative findings suggested that both approaches are effective in enhancing EFL learners’ listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. The interview data revealed that teacher-guided listening instruction is helpful but needs to be complemented by extensive individual listening practice. Based on the results, a new pedagogical model, which blends teacherguided instruction and extensive listening practice, is proposed, and specific modifications tailored for ESL students are discussed.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is the standard in the college admissions process, leading to the inclusion of preparation classes in Intensive English Program (IEP) curricula. But does preparing for the TOEFL in isolation yield optimal results for IEP college hopefuls? In this article, we will share information about the structure of the test as well as skills needed to perform successfully. In addition, we will offer teaching strategies and activities that we have found useful in increasing student buy-in, strengthening their test-taking abilities, and building their skills in order to increase their test scores. We believe that if we can better connect what we are teaching in our other intensive English classes to skills assessed on the TOEFL, it could lead to decreased resistance to particular activities.

Between 2012 and 2018, the California Community Colleges system underwent significant changes in policy and practice to address student success rates; this article chronicles policies affecting ESL students and how ESL faculty worked to ensure equitable, appropriate implementation for students enrolled in credit ESL courses. The 2018 California law, AB 705 (Irwin) and its partner bill, AB 1805 (Irwin), changed placement processes; impact was greatest in the disciplines of English and mathematics, which were mandated to primarily use high school information for direct placement into transfer-level course work. Credit ESL students were not included in the original text of either bill. However, advocacy by three community college ESL faculty led to language amendments in both laws on behalf of ESL students. Further advocacy resulted in an ESL subcommittee to ensure that the needs of ESL students would still be met in the implementation of AB 705.