Date of Conferral

5-17-2024

Date of Award

May 2024

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Ashraf Esmail

Abstract

The problem is that translations of language in standardized mathematics tests are not provided, which reduces the achievement scores of native-Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in Grades 4 and 8. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of language translation for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to uncover strategies of language translation to support the math scores of Spanish-speaking ELLs in fourth and eighth grades in a northeastern state. Underpinned by Krashen’s theory of comprehensible input, this study addressed the research question regarding how teachers of ELLs perceive language translation strategies for the NAEP standardized mathematics tests to foster the mathematics scores and academic achievement of fourth- and eighth-grade ELL students. Twelve teachers of ELLs who took the NAEP assessments, recruited via purposeful sampling, participated in semi-structured interviews via Zoom. Findings revealed that translation strategies were considered a very valuable tool by the teachers toward the improvement of math scores and achievement in academics among ELL students enrolled at the fourth and eighth grade levels. Teachers emphasized the importance of culturally relevant translations and how language proficiency may be a key factor in the capacity of ELLs to perform better on tests. The findings of this study may facilitate positive social change through providing a foundation for targeted interventions to enhance academic outcomes for Spanish-speaking ELLs at the individual level and advocating for comprehensive strategies to address language-related issues in standardized testing at the organizational level.

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