Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Using an evidence-based framework in a mixed-method study, we examined the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) in a middle school in the eastern United States and identified strategic intervention approaches to enhance ELL students’ sense of school belonging to promote academic success. We illustrate how describing a problem as part of an evidence-based framework can lead to a targeted intervention for ELLs. When describing the problem, we considered intersectional social identity factors of ELL students. Problem description revealed how ELLs perceived their relationships with teachers, how school personnel viewed ELL student needs, obstacles to meeting ELL student needs, and current solutions. Suggested interventions focus on a culturally responsive bibliotherapy approach.

Keywords

ELLs English Language Learners evidence-based practice school belonging school counselors

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Altunbay

(2018). Using literature in bibliotherapy: Biography sampling. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 6, 201–206. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1194037.pdf

American School Counselor Association. (2012). ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

American School Counselor Association. (2017). ASCA position statements. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/PositionStatements/PositionStatements.pdf

August

(2018). Educating English language learners: A review of the latest research. American Educator (Fall 2018). Retrieved from https://www.aft.org/ae/fall2018/august

Betzalel

Shechtman

(2017). The impact of bibliotherapy superheroes on youth who experience parental absence. School Psychological International, 38, 473–490. doi:10.1177/0143034317719943

Booker

K. C.

(2007). Likeness, comfort, and tolerance: Examining African American adolescents’ sense of school belonging. The Urban Review, 39, 301–317. doi:10.1007/s11256-007-0053-y

Brown

Trusty

(2005). School counselors, comprehensive school counseling programs, and academic achievement: Are school counselors promising more than they can deliver? Professional School Counseling, 9, 1–8. doi:10.1177/2156759X0500900105

Cha

Y.-K.

Ham

S.-H.

Yang

K.-E.

(2017). Multicultural education policy in the global institutional context. In Cha

Y.-K.

Gundara

Ham

S.-H.

Lee

(Eds.), Multicultural education in global perspectives (pp. 11–21). Singapore: Springer Nature.

Chhuon

Wallace

T. L.

(2012). Creating connectedness through being known: Fulfilling the need to belong in U.S. high schools. Youth & Society, 46, 379–401. doi:10.1177/0044118X11436188

10.

Chiu

M. M.

Pong

S. L.

Mori

Chow

B. W. Y.

(2012). Immigrant students’ emotional and cognitive engagement at school: A multilevel analysis of students in 41 countries. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41, 1409–1425. doi:10.1007/s10964-012-9763-x

11.

Cook

A. L.

Pérusse

Rojas

E. D.

(2015). Promoting college access among Latina/o English language learners: Implications for professional school counselors. Journal of School Counseling, 13, 1–43. Retrieved from http://jsc.montana.edu/articles/v13n18.pdf

12.

Creswell

J. W.

(2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

13.

Dimmitt

(2018, March). Name inequities and create meaningful change: Evidence-based school counseling and social justice. Paper presented at the National Evidence-Based School Counseling Conference, New York, NY.

14.

Dimmitt

Carey

Hatch

(2007). Evidence-based school counseling: Making a difference with data-driven practices. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

15.

Elley

(2014). Examining the use of bibliotherapy in a third grade classroom. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1110945.pdf

16.

Ernst-Slavit

Moore

Maloney

(2002). Changing lives: Teaching English and literature to ESL students. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 46, 116–128.

17.

Ferlazzo

Sypnieski

K. H.

(2018). Teaching English language learners: Tips from the classroom. American Educator (Fall 2018). Retrieved from https://www.aft.org/ae/fall2018/ferlazzo_sypnieski

18.

Flynn

Hill

. (2005). English language learners: A growing population. Denver, CO: Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning. Retrieved from http://chansenedconsultantaea11.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/50595003/McRelenglishlanguagelearnerspop.pdf

19.

Goodenow

. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30, 79–90. doi:10.1002/1520-6807(199301)30:1<79::AID-PITS2310300113>3.0.CO;2-X

20.

Guardiola Castillo

I. V

. (2014). Teachers’ and school counselors’ perceptions of their cultural competence in working with newly arrived Latino immigrant students: A mixed methods research study (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations. (AAT 3580929)

21.

Hagborg

W. J.

(1994). An exploration of school membership among middle- and high-school students. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 12, 312–323. doi:10.1177/073428299401200401

22.

Hersi

A. A.

Watkinson

J. S.

(2012). Supporting immigrant students in a newcomer high school: A case study. Bilingual Research Journal, 35, 98–111. doi:10.1080/15235882.2012.668869

23.

Hipple

Comer

Boren

(1997). Twenty recent novels (and more) about adolescents for bibliotherapy. Professional School Counseling, 1, 65–67.

24.

Lincoln

Y. S.

Guba

E. G.

(1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

25.

(2003). Sense of belonging to school: Can schools make a difference? The Journal of Educational Research, 96, 340–349.

26.

Masten

A. S.

Burt

K. B.

Coatsworth

(2006). Competence and psychopathology in development: Risk, disorder and psychopathology. In Ciccheti

Cohen

(Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Risk, disorder and psychopathology (2nd ed., Vol. 3, pp. 696–738). New York, NY: Wiley. doi:10.1002/9780470939406.ch19

27.

McKay

E. A.

(2007) Psychological sense of school membership mediates the relationship between attachment and academic motivation in adolescents (Master’s thesis). Central Connecticut State University, New Britain.

28.

Montgomery

Maunders

(2015). The effectiveness of creative bibliotherapy for internalizing, externalizing and prosocial behaviors in children: A systemic review. Children and Youth Services Review, 55, 37–47.

29.

Pagan-Rivera

M. S.

(2014). Risk and protective factors for depression in Mexican-American youth: The impact of generational status, family, and parental influences. Social Work in Mental Health, 13, 252–271. doi:10.1080/15332985.2014.896848

30.

Pederson

P. B.

Carey

J. C.

(2003). Multicultural counseling in the schools: A practical handbook. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

31.

Roche

Kuperminc

G. P.

(2012). Acculturative stress and school belonging among Latino youth. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 34, 61–76. doi:10.1177/0739986311430084

32.

Sheridan

Baker

de Lissovoy

(1984). Structured group counseling and explicit bibliotherapy as in-school strategies for preventing problems in youth of changing families. The School Counselor, 32, 134–141.

33.

Sibley

Brabeck

(2017). Latino immigrant students’ school experiences in the United States: The importance of family–school–community collaborations. School Community Journal, 27, 137–157. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1146470.pdf

34.

Uslu

Gizir

(2017). School belonging of adolescents: The role of teacher-student relationships, peer relationships and family involvement. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 17, 63–82. doi:10.12738/estp.2017.1.0104

English Language Learners and School Belonging: Implications for School Counselor Practice

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References