Predictors of Mainstream Teachers' Attitudes toward ESL Students

TLDR

Relatively little research exists on mainstream teachers’ attitudes toward ESL students, and the predictors of these attitudes are largely unknown. The study argues that preservice and in‑service teachers should receive increased exposure to cultural diversity. A survey of 143 junior‑high mainstream teachers in a Great Plains community was conducted to assess these attitudes. Teachers reported neutral to slightly positive attitudes, and the analysis showed that foreign‑language or multicultural‑education coursework, ESL training, abroad experience, diverse ESL‑student exposure, and gender predict these attitudes, supporting a multipredictor model.

Abstract

Relatively little research exists on the nature of mainstream teachers' attitudes toward ESL students, nor is much known about the predictors of these attitudes. We report on a survey of 143 junior high/middle school mainstream teachers in a community of approximately 80,000 in the Great Plains region of the United States. On average, respondents had 15.5 years of teaching experience and had worked, over the previous 6 years, with 11.2 ESL students from 3.2 distinct regions of the world. Most reported a neutral to slightly positive attitude toward the prospect of teaching more ESL students in the future. The results support a multipredictor model of teachers' ESL-related attitudes. The predictors include completion of foreign language or multicultural education courses, ESL training, experience abroad, work with diverse ESL students, and gender. We suggest that these predictors collectively tap into a teacher's exposure to cultural diversity and that this exposure underlies positive ESL-related attitudes among mainstream teachers. Thus, we argue that preservice and in-service teachers should have increased opportunities for exposure to cultural diversity.