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The Zone Of Proximal Development And Content Area Instruction For Middle School English Language Learner Students: A Phenomenological Study, Amy Lundgren Sep 2023

The Zone Of Proximal Development And Content Area Instruction For Middle School English Language Learner Students: A Phenomenological Study, Amy Lundgren

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of middle school content area instructors (CAIs) who teach English language learners (ELLs) in public schools in ELL-heavy districts. The theory guiding this study was Vygotsky’s theory of the zone of proximal development (ZPD), as research studies indicate the ability of ELLs to access content area instruction when teachers effectively scaffold them in their ZPD to use discipline specific literacy strategies. Data were collected using one-on-one interviews with 10 content area teachers in six ELL-heavy public-school districts to participate in the study. Further data collection was completed using …