"Effects of Teaching Methods on Achievement of English Language Learner" by Kathy Short

Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Philip A. Griswold

Abstract

An American school overseas is concerned with offering equal academic opportunities for the non-native English language learners (ELLs) on campus. It has not been determined if the in-class teaching method or the out-of-class teaching method is more effective. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference in end-of-year achievement between these 2 different methods. Guided by Vygotsky`s theory of cognitive social development and Krashen`s theory of exposure to language, the research question addressed the difference in 3rd through 5th grade students' achievement test scores between the in-class teaching method and the out-of-class teaching method. The causal comparative study compared the standardized Stanford and Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Proficiency achievement test data from 244 students for 1 year of out-of-class teaching with 3 subsequent years of in-class teaching. The Kruskal-Wallis test indicated a significant difference between the 2 methods (H = 7.88, df = 3, p = .049) only in the 1st year of in-class teaching. As the results are inconclusive, the results of this study were shared with teachers and administrators and a discussion was facilitated about alternatives to the in-class teaching method in order to develop a research-based curriculum that will help ELLs to succeed in the local school.

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