Creating Conditions for Transforming Practicing K-12 Mainstream Teachers of English Language Learners

Critical incident reflection journal writing provides a rich source for identifying high impact components of Project Alianza, a graduate course for mainstream secondary teachers funded by a US Department of Education Title III Professional Development grant. In this narrative pilot study featuring one strand of existing data, the co-authors, who are also co-instructors and co-researchers, begin the first rounds of analysis to identify emerging key conditions and contributing factors featured within specialized graduate courses for encouraging dispositional change and professional efficacy toward English language learners (ELLs) in practicing K-12 mainstream educators. Using Mezirow’s adult transformational learning theory (1991), Kegan’s stage theory of development (1994), and Kegan and Lahey’s notion of resistance to change (2001) as a conceptual lens, the researchers conduct narrative textual analysis to consider implications for professional developers and continuing education instructors who hope to encourage the development of inclusive school and classroom environments for English language learners. This study also serves as a pilot for future study of the larger existing data pool.