Term
Spring 2024
Capstone
Dissertation
Degree Name
EdD
Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair
Michelle Benegas
Abstract
This study examined the factors influencing multilingual families’ decisions to accept or waive English language (EL) services. The number of multilingual learners in the United States has increased by half a million over the past ten years (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021). This growing population of students requires teachers with specialized knowledge and training in specific areas of second language acquisition, culturally relevant teaching practices, and targeted language instruction to participate fully in classroom content (Cadiero-Kaplan, 2010; Olsen, 2010). However, not all multilingual families choose for their children to receive targeted language instruction and decide to waive English language services. Previous research has reported that multilingual students who have had services waived may experience academic difficulties and are at a higher risk of dropping out of school (Waters, 2001; Thomas & Collier, 2002; Cummins, 2008; Honigsfeld, 2009; Gandara & Hopkins, 2010). A case study approach was used to collect data. Data were collected through surveys and interviews and analyzed using the Decision-Making Factors (DMF) Framework, which asserts that a person’s values, knowledge, and experiences influence their decisions. Findings were organized according to each decision-making factor. They revealed that values influencing a multilingual family’s decision to accept or waive EL services include the value of English language acquisition, educational advancement, embracing and leveraging available opportunities, and societal integration. The findings also revealed that the knowledge of their children’s English abilities, knowledge regarding the specifics of EL program models, the knowledge of the status English holds in society, and the knowledge of systems influence a multilingual family’s decisions regarding EL services. Last, experiences such as personal history with language learning and observations of others navigating English language services were shown to influence families’ decisions.
Keywords
ESL/ ELLs
Recommended Citation
Mattson, Emily, "Factors Influencing Multilingual Families’ Decisions to Accept or Waive English Language Services" (2024). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations. 4594.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/4594
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations