Teachers’ beliefs in critical period and language instructional practices

Shu Chen-Worley

doi:10.54475/jlt.2024.021

Authors

Dr. Shu Jen Chen-Worley Touro University, AERA, NERA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6820-0787

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54475/jlt.2024.021

Keywords:

teachers’ belief, critical period, language instruction

Abstract

The study quantitatively and qualitatively investigated both preservice and in-service teachers’ beliefs and understandings on critical period for language development and their language instructional practices. The results of the study showed that most participants believed in the existence of a critical period for language acquisition and the importance of understanding the concept of critical period to facilitate English Language Learners (ELLs) for language learning. However, participants also believed that using translation or an ELL’s L1 for language instruction could most benefit ELLs from English learning. The two beliefs are carefully analyzed and discussed in the study with a comparison to existing language research and literature. Insights are therefore provided for teacher education programs for education renovations and preparations.

Author Biography

Dr. Shu Jen Chen-Worley, Touro University, AERA, NERA

Dr. Shu Jen Chen-Worley earned her Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Studies in Special Education from Oklahoma State University (OSU) and her Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from Arizona State University (ASU). Her research interests have been focused on intersectionality and literacy particularly on investigating teachers’ perceptions and education practices by conducting survey research with Mixed Methods. She was a selected researcher for the Cross- Cultural Studies for the NEH Grant Research Project held in University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. She was also a recipient of the first Presidential Research Development Grant award in Touro University in 2017. She is an author for multiple publications. Her most recent research study is “Teacher Perceptions on L2 Acquisition and Education Practice for English Language Learners”, which was published in Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning in 2023. Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning is a peer-reviewed, fully-open access journal provided by the professional association NYACTE (New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education). Her book, Educating Inclusively: Assessment and Instructional Strategies published by Kendall/Hunt, which reexamines the concepts of assessment and instruction and highlights effective inclusion practice with the difference model, reflects perceptions and paradigm shift practices. She is a reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals and a researcher, a SIG officer, and a committee member affiliated with an international organization, American Educational Research Association (AERA) and a regional organization in the U.S., Northeastern Educational Research Association (NERA).
Email: s20research17@gmail.com

References

Acton, W. (1984). Changing fossilized pronunciation. TESOL Quarterly, 18(1), 71–85. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586336 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3586336

Amiryousefi, M. (2015). Iranian EFL teachers and learners’ beliefs about vocabulary learning and teaching. International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning, 4(4), 29-40. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsll.2015.1016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsll.2015.1016

Baker, C. (2001). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (3rd ed.). Multilingual Matters.

Bear, M. F., Connors, B. W., & Paradiso, M. A. (2007). Neuroscience: Exploring the brain (3rd ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Bergkvist, L. (2014). Appropriate use of single-item measures is here to stay. Mark Lett, 26(3), 245-255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-014-9325-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-014-9325-y

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide (1st ed.). Sage. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsqmip.2022.1.33.46

Brown, H. D. (1980). The optimal distance model of second language acquisition. TESOL Quarterly, 14(2), 157–164. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586310 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3586310

Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Naiton, K. (2018). Ending the reading wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(1), 5-51. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100618772271 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100618772271

Chen S.J., & Chen-Worley, S. J. (2015). Educating inclusively: Assessment & instructional strategies (3rd ed.). Kendall Hunt.

Chen-Worley, S. J. (2023). Teacher perceptions on L2 acquisition and education practice for English language learners. Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning, 15(1),80-107. https://doi.org/10.14305/jn.19440413.2023.15.1.05 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14305/jn.19440413.2023.15.1.05

Crain, W. (2005). Theories of development: Concepts and applications (5th ed.). Pearson.

Diamantopoulos, A., Sarstedt, M., Fuchs, C., Wilczynski, P., & Kaiser, S. (2012). Guidelines for choosing between multi-item and single-item scales for construct measurement: A predictive validity perspective. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40(3), 434–449. https://10.1007/s11747-011-0300-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-011-0300-3

Ellis, N. C. (Ed.). (1994). Implicit and explicit learning of languages. Academic.

Ford, M. I. (1994). Teachers’ beliefs about mathematical problem solving in the elementary school. School Science and Mathematics, 94(6), 314-322. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.1994.tb15683.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.1994.tb15683.x

Freeman, D. E., & Freeman, Y. S. (2014). Essential linguistics (2nd ed.). Heinemann.

Ginns, P., & Barrie, S. (2004). Reliability of single-item ratings of quality in higher education: A replication. Psychological Reports, 95, 1023-1030. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.95.3.1023-1030

Goodman, K. S. (2006). What’s whole in Whole Language? RDR Books.

Hakuta, K., Butler, Y. G., & Witt, D. (2000). How long does it take English learner to attain proficiency? (ED443275). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED443275.pdf

Hartshorne, J., Tenenbaum, J. b., & Pinker, S. (2018). A critical period for second language acquisition. Evidence from 2/3 million English speakers. Cognition, 177, 263-277. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2018.04.007

Khader, F. R. (2012). Teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and actual classroom practices in social studies instruction. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 2(1), 73-92.

Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971X.1982.tb00476.x

Krashen, S. (1988). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Prentice-Hall.

Kuldas, S., Ismail, H. N., Hashim, S., & Bakar, Z. A. (2013). Unconscious learning process: Mental integration of verbal and pictorial instructional materials. Springer Plus, 2, 105. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-2-105 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-2-105

Larsen-Freeman, D. (1997). Chaos/complexity theory and second language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 18, 141-165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/18.2.141

Leahy, M. A., & Fitzpatrick, N. M. (2017). Early reads and academic success. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 7(2), 87-95. https://doi.org/10.5539/jedp.v7n2p87 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/jedp.v7n2p87

Lee, J., Grigg, W., and Donahue, P. (2007). The Nation’s Report Card: Reading 2007 (NCES 2007-496). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.

Lenneberg, E. H. (1967). Biological foundations of language. Wiley. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21548331.1967.11707799

Li, W. (2018). Translanguaging as a practical theory of language, 39(1), 9-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amx039

Long, M. (1990). Maturational constraints on language development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 12, 251-285. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263100009165 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263100009165

Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. E. (2014). Inclusive classroom: Strategies and effective differentiated instruction. Pearson.

Nation, I.S. P., & Macalister, J. (2010). Language curriculum design. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203870730

Otheguy, R., Garcia, O., & Reid, W. (2015). Clarifying translanguaging and deconstructing named languages: A perspective from linguistics. Applied Linguistics Review, 6(3), 281-307. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2015-0014

Paradis, M. (2004). A neurolinguistic theory of bilingualism. John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.18 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.18

Pullen, P. C., & Cash, D. B. (2011). Reading. In J. M. Kauffman & D. P. Hallahan (Eds.), Handbook of special education (pp. 409-421). Routledge.

Rice, D. C. (2002). Using trade books in teaching elementary science: Facts and fallacies: Valuable addition to the science curriculum if teachers know how to select good ones. The Reading Teacher, 55(6), 552–565. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20205097

Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667305

Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009024532

Schmidt, R. (1990). The role of consciousness. Applied Linguistics in Second Language Learning, 11, 129-158. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/11.2.129 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/11.2.129

Schmidt, R. (2001). Attention. In P. Robinson (Ed.), Cognition and second language instruction (pp. 3-32). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139524780.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139524780.003

Schober, P., Boer, C., & Schwarte, LA. (2018). Correlation coefficients: Appropriate use and interpretation. Anesthesua Analgesia. 126(5), 1763-1768. https://doi.org/10.1213/ANE.0000000000002864 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1213/ANE.0000000000002864

Spearman, C. (1904). The proof and measurement of association between two things. The American Journal of Psychology. 15(1), 72-101. https://doi.org/10.2307/1412159 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1412159

Thor, S. (2008). Neuroscience: Light moulds plastic brains. Nature, 456, 177-178. https://doi.org/10.1038/456177a DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/456177a

Ullman, M. (2001). The neural basis of lexicon and grammar in first and second language: The declarative/procedural model. Bilingualism: Language & Cognition, 4(2), 105–22. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728901000220 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728901000220

Unlu, A. (2015). How alert should I be to learn a language? The noticing hypothesis and its implications for language teaching. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 199, 261-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.515 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.515

Wanous, J. P., & Hudy, M. J. (2001). Single item reliability: A replication and extension. Organization Research Methods, 4, 361-375. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/109442810144003

Wanous, J. p., Reichers, A. E., & Hudy, M. J. (1997). Overall job satisfaction: How good are single-item measures? Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 247-252. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0021-9010.82.2.247