Chinese American Educational Research and Development Association
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Educational Research & Development Journal
Summer 2022, Volume 25, Number 1
The Effects of Teacher Preparation Special Population Courses for Multispecialty Certification |
| Delia Carrizales, Linnie Greenlees, Denise Lara |
Abstract |
| Educational systems in the United States rely on federal mandates to protect and improve learning opportunities for English learners (ELs) and students with disabilities (SWDs), yet there is little evidence that teacher preparation programs provide fully integrated curricula to ensure that teacher candidates receive the foundational knowledge, theory, and practice through strategic coursework to support ELs and SWDs in general education classrooms. In response to this need, the researchers created a Special Populations course sequence that integrates English as a Second Language (ESL), bilingual education, and special education content and critical pedagogy. This study measured the effect of the Special Populations courses on teacher candidates' acquisition of comprehensive knowledge and domain knowledge as assessed by the ESL, bilingual, Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test, and special education certification exams. Results inform teacher preparation policy and program developers in co-constructing integrated programs that promote teaching diverse student populations in K-12 classrooms. |
| Full Text: PDF |
ISSN: 1526-8659