An investigation of the relationship between English

Running head: EL TEACHER COLLABORATION AND SELF-EFFICACY 1

An investigation of the relationship between

English learner teacher collaboration and self-efficacy.

Olivia L. Tate

Northwest Nazarene University

EDUC 7598C

Dr. Tawny Billings

April 18, 2015

EL TEACHER COLLABORATION AND SELF EFFICACY 2

Abstract

Many school districts embed teacher collaboration, organized by grade or content-area, into their

schedules. Teachers, isolated from peers because of their subject(s) or the size of their school

district, may be unable to collaborate with other professionals fulfilling the same role. Isolated

teachers miss out on the benefits of such collaboration, such as increased efficacy or a teachers’

belief in their ability to meet student needs. English learners (EL) are the fastest growing student

demographic in the United States and present schools with unique challenges. Through two

anonymous surveys, this study investigated the relationship between EL teacher collaboration

and self-efficacy of current and former EL teachers in one Idaho school district. Analysis of the

data found a statistically significant correlation between teacher self-efficacy and collaboration

between EL teachers working in the same school. Areas for further study include adjusting

schedules to increase teacher availability and utilizing various electronic collaboration platforms.

Keywords: EL teachers, collaboration, efficacy, isolation


An investigation of the relationship between EL teacher collaboration and self-efficacy.

Background of the Problem

The limited English proficient (LEP) student population in the United States is the fastest

growing student demographic group in the United States (NEA, 2008). In the decade between

the school years 1997-1998 and 2007-2008, the general student population grew by seven

percent, while the number of LEP student in public school rose by fifty-one percent (TESOL,

2013). During the same decade the rate of LEP student growth in Idaho mirrored the national

trend, at fifty percent (Office, n.d.). For the 2009-2010 school year, the National Clearinghouse

for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) identified the West Ada School District (formerly

the Meridian Joint School District No. 2) as a high incidence and a high-growth district

(NCELA, 2014) for LEP students. An LEP student typically has difficulty understanding

English and comes from a home in which family members speak a language other than English.

Some of the names and acronyms are English language learners (ELL) (Baecher, Rorimer, &

Smith, 2012; Batt, 2008; Gandara, et.al., 2005; Khong & Saito, 2013; Newman, Samimy, &

Romsedt, 2010; Roblero, 2013; Spezzini, Austin, Abbott, & Littleton, 2009; TESOL, 2013), or

students who are learning English as a second language (ESL) (Bell & Baecher, 2012), as well as

culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students (Beasley, Gartin, Lincoln, & Penner-

Williams, 2013). Throughout this review these students will be referred to as English learners or

ELs.

The swift increase of the EL population has resulted in many teachers facing a classroom

of students for whom they have had little if any preparation (Khong & Saito, 2014: Roblero,

2013). Additionally, in the face of high standards, such as the common core, this student

demographic group presents a unique challenge for teachers in which EL teachers play an


increasingly important role (TESOL, 2013). Teacher efficacy and teacher collaboration can have

a significant impact on the academic progress of ELs (Gandara, et.al., 2005). When teachers

lack training and experience in meeting the instructional needs of ELs, teacher efficacy is

lowered. EL teachers function as a language acquisition expert in schools, collaborating with

general education teachers about how best to meet the needs of students. However, EL teachers

have little opportunity to collaborate with other EL teachers because they are focused on

supporting their general education colleagues and the EL students they serve.

Statement of the Problem

With the rapid increase of the English learner student population in the United States and

its continued anticipated growth (NEA, 2008), coupled with the raising of standards, the role of

EL teachers is becoming increasingly important (TESOL, 2013) in public schools. Additionally,

in Idaho, many districts struggle to find qualified EL teachers to serve the EL students in their

schools (ISDE, 2014). These language acquisition specialists face a significant challenge to

meet their responsibilities for teaching their multi-grade/multi-level EL students, for

collaborating and consulting with general education teachers, building administrators and staff,

as well as for supporting EL families to increase the families’ understanding of school

procedures and participation in school events. Examining the perceptions of EL teachers in the

areas of efficacy, and collaboration is in the best interest of school districts and states because the

better the understanding of the role of these teachers, the better able districts will be in

facilitating and supporting them as they work with this high-impact and vulnerable demographic

subgroup of the student population.

Research Question


The research question of this study, “What is the relationship between EL teacher

collaboration and self-efficacy?” warrants further research because “by 2025, nearly one out of

every four public school students will be an English Language Learner” (NEA, 2008).

Literature Review

English Learner (EL) Teachers

In a discussion of EL education in California, Gandara, et.al., (2005) noted that English

learners were approximately twenty-five percent of the student population in public schools and

that ELs did not achieve at levels that would provide much of a future for either the students or

the state. Although 47% of ELs passed the California English Language Development Test

(CELDT), only ten percent passed the English Language Arts (ELA) section of the California

Standards Test. There was a large gap in the performance of EL students and their English-

speaking (both English-only and formerly EL students) peers on the California High School Exit

Exams. Only 49% of ELs passed the math exit exam and only 39% passed the ELA exit exam;

while 78% of English-speaking students passed the math exit exam and 81% passed the ELA

exit exam. Additionally, large numbers of English learners are no longer in school four years

after enrolling in the ninth grade. These were the reasons for surveying EL teachers about the

greatest challenges in educating English learners. Of the 5,300 educators who responded,

elementary and secondary teachers across all districts agreed as to the areas where other kinds of

support would most help teachers meet the needs of their English learner students. These areas

were more and better English language development materials, more time to teach students and

to collaborate with colleagues; and more paraprofessional assistance. The researchers found that

“greater preparation for teaching English learners equaled greater teacher confidence in their

skills for working with these students successfully” (Gandara, et. al., 2005).


Batt (2008) also used surveys to solicit solutions and priorities from Idaho educators, but

focused on rural schools, unlike the California study (Gandara, et. al., 2005) which involved

rural, suburban and urban teachers. Attendees of the annual Idaho Association of Bilingual

Educators conference, were asked to voluntarily complete a survey, and follow-up to some of the

surveys involved focus groups and interviews. The respondents included individuals filling

various and sometimes multiple EL/Bilingual educator roles. Idaho’s ELs are predominantly

native Spanish speakers and the state has a shortage of teachers qualified to work with ELs

(ISDE, 2014). Because of the shortage, paraprofessionals were often the majority of those

working with English learners; many of whom had only received training through in-service

training or workshops. Analysis of the survey responses revealed three significant challenges: a

lack of knowledge and skills of those working with ELs, understaffing and EL practitioners

working with students in multiple schools, and “an overwhelming feeling of the stress involved

in performing a big job solo and in tandem with many extra duties” (Batt, 2008). The

respondents also proposed solutions which included six ranked areas for professional

development, as well as several ideas for restructuring to improve ELL education within rural

school districts.

Collaboration

Hord (2008) found that for much of the history of schools, teachers worked in a climate

of isolation from colleagues with the authority to teach whatever curricula they chose and using

whatever instructional practices they felt best. However, many schools in the 1980’s began to

explore team-teaching and open classrooms which led to conversations about the school as a

workplace and that workplace’s effect on teacher morale, knowledge and skills. During this

time, school districts shifted to having periodical meetings of grade level or departmental teacher


groups. In these meetings, however, much of their time together, however, was spent on clerical

issues such as, ordering textbooks and supplies, and organizing field trips (Hord, 2008).

Occasionally a teacher might also have shared an instructional strategy or report on a conference

that had been attended. Standards-based teaching brought the next shift which focused on

student achievement. In this shift, it became clear that teachers needed to develop, through

intentional learning, new practices that would enable an increasingly diverse student population

to reach the high standards of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Teacher collaboration leads to professional learning and teacher development (Baecher,

Rorimer, & Smith, 2012; Greene, Kim, & Marioni, 2007). Baecher, Rorimer, and Smith (2012)

established a collaborative inquiry group of high school teachers who analyzed video clips (of

participants teaching their own classes) to reflect on classroom instruction of English language

learners (ELLs). Data analysis revealed that while teachers experienced anxiety about sharing

video clips of their own teaching at the beginning of the study, that anxiety was greatly lessened

as the participants learned and practiced an open, non-judgmental analysis of the teaching

videos. Teachers moved from the mindset of looking for good examples, to reflecting on their

own instructional practice and developed a renewed trust in the collaborative process. Trust was

also a key element of Greene, Kim, and Marioni’s (2007) research; they discovered that trust and

professional reciprocity are essential to collegial and collaborative inquiry. When teachers

engage with trusted colleagues and peers in critical reflection on their own instructional

practices, the limits of teacher learning and mastery can expanded.

Successful teacher learning collaborations often occur between colleagues who share

similar contexts (Costa, 1995; Newman, Samimy, & Romstedt 2010; Spezzini, Austin, Abbott, &

Littleton, 2009). Costa (1995) gathered data on the impact of four teacher collaboration


strategies from elementary teachers in two public school districts in British Columbia, Canada.

Findings revealed that teacher partners who observed each other teaching to gather data to

discuss in collaborative conferences effected more changes that improved student performance

than other teacher collaboration strategies in the study. Newman, Samimy, and Romstedt (2010)

focused on building capacity through sustained interactions between content teachers in Ohio.

The research team, in order to provide a job-embedded professional development model, only

worked with same school collaborative teams. Spezzini, Austin, Abbott, and Littleton (2009)

created a professional development program (PDP) designed to increase local teachers’ capacity

in English as a second language (ESL) best practices. Participant teachers adopted the role of

collaborative peer-mentors with their school colleagues. Even novice teachers often reversed

their role and became a mentor to veteran teachers learning new best practices for working with

English learners (Spezzini, Austin, Abbott, & Littleton, 2009).

Other benefits from teacher collaboration are increased commitment (Haun & Martin,

2004) and that teachers produce more without increasing their use of resources (Donaldson,

1993). Haun & Martin (2004), in their survey of both current and former middle school teachers,

revealed that participating on interdisciplinary collaborative teams helped beginning teachers

more clearly understand their purpose as educators and increase their commitment to remaining

in the teaching profession. Donaldson (1993) discusses the idea that the landscape of school

districts with limited resources, both in terms of budgets and personnel, will likely not change.

Because of these limitations, educators must learn to work smarter collectively. Collaboration

allows educators to be more productive while not greatly reducing resources. A key component

of working collectively is to develop the ability to monitor what educators do in order to

determine the effectiveness of new efforts (Donaldson, 1993).


When supportive structural conditions (e.g. a time and place to meet), as well as policies

and resources that support faculty in collaborative study (Hord, 2008) are not established,

teachers will resort to informal collaboration (Bell & Baecher, 2012; Stevenson, 2008).

Stevenson (2008) investigated how elementary school teachers’ practical theories influenced

their choice of colleagues with whom to informally collaborate. Results determined that

teachers’ decisions about informal collaboration were based on their personal beliefs about the

implementation of district mandated curriculum and on their expectations for student academic

achievement. Teachers were revealed as either an Adaptor (a teacher who regularly

supplemented or modified district curricular materials and content standards) or a Subscriber (a

teacher who makes minimal modifications to curriculum and standards). Participants were also

identified as having either high or low academic expectations for their students.

Generally, the participating teachers chose informal collaboration colleagues (i.e.

voluntary, unmandated collaboration partners) who shared similar beliefs and expectations. It is

possible that these elements of shared beliefs and expectations also influence the teachers who

participated in Bell and Baecher’s (2012) study. They surveyed English as a Second Language

(ESL) teachers to examine their perceptions of the types of and the challenges to collaboration

with content area or grade level teachers. The ESL teacher respondents reported to sometimes or

usually collaborating, with the nature of the collaboration being overwhelmingly informal.

While almost all of the study’s ESL teachers desired to collaborate with content area or grade

level teachers, nearly half of the respondents believed that their school lacked a culture of

collaboration and that collaboration between content and ESL teachers was not highly valued.

As Bell and Baecher (2012) found, sometimes teachers work in a school environment that

is less conducive to collaboration. School culture, geographical distance, or content taught can


isolate some teachers from a community of peers (Bell & Baecher, 2012; Maher, Burroughs,

Dietz, and Karnbach 2010; Pringle, Klosterman, Milton-Brkich, & Hayes, 2010; Richmond &

Manokore, 2011). In such cases, teachers must go beyond the walls of their individual schools

or even beyond their district to find collaboration colleagues. Three research studies examined

these circumstances. First, Richmond and Manokore (2011) sought to improve elementary

science instruction through the use of a teacher community of inquiry. Participants were

volunteers from different schools who received a stipend for time spent attending professional

learning community (PLC) meetings, and developing curriculum or project-related activities.

Participating teachers were more likely to collaborate, discuss and share about teaching practices

with the project PLC colleagues, than with school colleagues.

Second, Pringle, Klosterman, Milton-Brkich, and Hayes (2010) designed a year-long

professional development project using videoconferencing to connect teachers in different school

districts and separated by more than fifty miles. Increasing elementary teachers’ science content

knowledge and inquiry-based teaching practices were the purposes of this collaborative project.

Teachers attended a week-long summer workshop, monthly videoconferences, and another

week-long workshop in winter. The monthly videoconferences followed an agenda and were

structured by the leadership team of facilitators. The project, overall, resulted in a strong belief

in the usefulness of videoconferencing as a tool to support collaboration. In the third study,

Maher, Burroughs, Dietz, and Karnbach (2010) explored how one school district assisted

teachers who were isolated by the solitary nature of their content. St. Mary’s Public Schools

partnered with Johns Hopkins University to support collaboration between fine arts teachers by

implementing an electronic learning community. The features of this community included

discussion forums, online resource sharing, community calendars, as well as instant feedback


and collaboration. This electronic collaboration venue was open to all disciplines, but data

revealed that it was most used by fine arts teachers a group which was isolated from peers by

their content. In contrast, Van Driel and Berry (2012) take issue with relying on technology as

the sole venue for a professional development program. They highlight problems with the

assertions made by other researchers about the need for professional development programs to

focus on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) improvement through the compilation of an

online video library. Growth of a teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge occurs most

effectively through active collaboration with colleagues and experiences based in the teacher’s

specific content and context. However, collaboration is often mandated which may have a

limiting effect on collegiality and the collaboration process. The development of pedagogical

content knowledge is a complex journey that requires more support than viewing videos

available from an online library.

Efficacy

Efficacy or a teacher’s belief in her or his ability to meet student needs has been shown to

have significant effects (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001) on instructional practice (Beasley,

Gartin, Lincoln, & Penner-Williams, 2013; Gebbie, Ceglowski, Taylor & Miels, 2012) and on

job stress and satisfaction (Klassen & Chiu, 2010). Beasley, Gartin, Lincoln and Penner-

Williams (2013) studied the self-efficacy of elementary teachers on meeting the needs of

culturally and linguistically diverse students in one community of the mid-south. In one school

district, 139 elementary teachers from eight schools voluntarily completed a survey of teacher

beliefs and practices. Quantitative analysis of the survey responses exposed that although

teachers had a strong belief in their ability to meet student needs through differentiation, they

were regularly implementing only a few research-based instructional strategies to support the


learning challenges of diverse students. Findings also indicated that teachers who had been

involved in a partnership program with a nearby university were more likely to provide

differentiated instruction and had higher self-efficacy. Lincoln and Penner-Williams (2013)

encourage further research into partnerships between university teacher preparation programs

and local public schools. In another large study, Klassen & Chiu (2010) also used surveys to

learn about the self-efficacy and job satisfaction of teachers in one province of western Canada.

Analysis of the survey responses highlighted a positive relationship between the self-efficacy of

teachers in the areas of classroom management, instructional strategies, and job satisfaction, and

a negative relationship between overall job stress and job satisfaction. The analysis also

demonstrated that self-efficacy varied by gender and by the age of a teacher’s student population,

and that the psychosocial context of a teacher’s work environment was a factor that influenced

efficacy. The researchers think more research needs to be done to determine the impact on

teacher self-efficacy over a career because much of the focus has been on the early years of a

teacher’s career.

Gebbie, Ceglowski, Taylor & Miels’s (2012) conducted a much smaller study in which

they examined the effect of instructional support on five preschool teachers of children with

disabilities and challenging classroom behaviors. In this study, however, teachers completed

surveys to determine a common area of need: classroom behavior management strategies. They

then participated in training, received mentoring and engaged with other participants in an online

learning community. Qualitative analysis of the data, gathered through interviews and from

online interactions, revealed that each participant’s belief in their own ability to have a positive

impact on the challenging behaviors was strengthened because of the online interactions with

colleagues teaching in a similar instructional setting.


Summary

While research has been done about collaboration between EL and general education

teachers, the topic of collaboration between EL teachers remains largely untouched. An EL

teacher is frequently the only EL teacher at a building which impacts where and how often

collaboration, with other EL teachers, can happen. Similarly the topic of self-efficacy has

received and is receiving attention from educational researchers, however studies about EL

teacher self-efficacy is lacking. An EL teacher’s self-efficacy involves more than what happens

with students in her/his own classroom. EL students present a wide range of cultural and

linguistic needs which is often shouldered by an EL teacher. An EL teacher has responsibilities

in addition to her/his own student instruction that are somewhat unique. These responsibilities

include supporting and consulting with general education teachers who have English learners

enrolled in their classes, and accomplishing the work needed to meet compliance on state and

federal guidance and regulations. With English learners in public schools anticipated to be

twenty-five percent by the year 2025 (NEA, 2008; TESOL, 2013), research into the relationship

between EL teacher collaboration and teacher self-efficacy is needed and may add knowledge to

the field of education.

Methodology

Purpose

The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the perceptions of English

learner (EL) teachers in the areas of EL teacher collaboration and self-efficacy. This study

specifically focused on the perceptions of EL teachers in the West Ada School District (West

Ada). Participants included both current and former EL teachers of West Ada. The participants

voluntarily completed a survey about EL teacher collaboration in West Ada. Those participants


who are currently teaching EL students, also completed a second questionnaire about teacher

self-efficacy. The researcher hoped that analysis of the data collected from the investigation of

the variables, EL teacher collaboration and self-efficacy, would reveal specific areas of need or

avenues of support that could then be used to assist WASD EL coaches and administrators in

their efforts to provide continually-improving support for EL teachers in the district.

Sample

The West Ada School District is the largest school district in Idaho with a student

enrollment of over 36,000 students in the 2013-2014 school year (Swindell, 2013). The district’s

boundaries include schools located in the cities of Meridian, Boise, Eagle and Star. EL teachers

of the West Ada School District are representative of EL teachers working in Idaho’s larger

suburban public school districts, such as the Boise, Nampa, Pocatello, Bonneville Joint, Coeur

d’Alene, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Vallivue, and Caldwell School Districts. West Ada’s EL

teachers are also representative of EL teachers working in similar suburban school districts

throughout the United States of America.

Sample participants were recruited from certified teachers employed as EL teachers for

the West Ada School District over the past fifteen years. In WASD, EL teachers are assigned to

teach elementary school (kindergarten through fifth grades), middle school (sixth through eighth

grades), high school (ninth through twelfth grades), or a combination thereof. Of the twenty-

three teachers who are currently teaching EL students and fulfilling the additional duties

assigned to EL teachers in the West Ada School District, twenty-two participated in the study.

Of the twenty-seven former EL teachers, twenty participated in the study. The study resulted in

two samples, one quantitative and one qualitative. Each sample is comprised of both current and

former EL teachers.


Demographics of Participants

For the quantitative, correlational analysis, only teachers who are currently teaching

students in a classroom setting were included in this sample. This sample of 32 EL teachers of

the West Ada School District included 22 current EL teachers (20 females and 2 males) and 10

former (9 females and 1 male). Participants self-identified their race/ethnicity, this sample

included 27 white/Caucasians, 3 Hispanics/Latinos, 1 Asian, and 1 who did not identify any

race/ethnicity. The teachers reported their overall teaching experience which is distributed thus:

40.6 percent have 1-9 years, 25.0 percent have 10-18 years, and 34.4 percent have 19-27 years.

The participating teachers also related their years of experience teaching EL students: 62.5

percent have 1-9 years of EL teaching experience, 28.1 percent have 10-18 years, and 9.4 percent

have 19-27 years. Participants also identified the grade-levels they are teaching. The sample

includes: 12 (36.4 percent) elementary teachers, 4 (12.1 percent) middle school teachers, 12

(36.4 percent) high school teachers, one (3.0 percent) teaching middle and high school, one (3.0

percent) teaching elementary and middle school, one (3.0 percent) teaching elementary, middle

and high school EL students, and one did not specify any grade level.

There was a larger sample for the qualitative analysis because while most are working in

the field of education, some have retired or are no longer working, and others have moved on to

work in other fields of endeavor. This sample of 42 West Ada EL teachers included 22 current

EL teachers (20 females and 2 males) and 20 former (18 females and 2 males). Sample

participants identified their race/ethnicity as follows, 35 white/Caucasians, 4 Hispanics/Latinos,

2 Asians, and 1 who did not identify any race/ethnicity. The distribution of participants

according to their years of overall teaching experience is: 38.1 percent with 1-9 years, 28.6

percent with 10-18 years, and 33.3 percent with 19-27 years. The distribution according to


reported years of experience teaching EL students is: 59.5 percent with 1-9 years, 31.0 percent

with 10-18 years, and 9.5 percent with 19-27 years.

Research Design.

This was a mixed-methods study involving questionnaires. Two surveys developed by

the researcher, the Survey for Former EL Teachers of the West Ada School District and the

Survey for Current EL Teachers of the West Ada School District, included open-ended questions

which required qualitative analysis. Another questionnaire came from the research of Dr. Megan

Tschannen-Moran. The Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001) was

analyzed quantitatively.

Instrumentation

Data Sources

Former EL Teacher Survey. The Former EL Teacher Survey (FELTS) was developed

by the researcher who currently works as an EL coach for the West Ada School District (WASD)

and also worked for several years as an EL teacher for the district. It is important to note that

this school district’s name changed from Joint School District No. 2 (JSD#2) to the West Ada

School District in June of 2014, and the FELTS makes reference to both names throughout

because the former EL teachers were possibly not be familiar with the district’s new name. The

FELTS (see Appendix B) included demographics and EL teaching and collaboration experience

with the WASD and included both closed and open-ended questions. Questions for the FELTS

were developed using the researcher’s personal experience and memory of conversations with

both current and former colleagues of the WASD.

Validity. The validity of this researcher-developed survey came from the items being

based on the specifics of WASD EL teacher collaboration experiences. The items incorporated


the constraints of access and location under which West Ada EL teachers work and collaborate.

This measure had never been used before, therefore there is no other data to support its validity.

Reliability. The FELTS had a broader focus than simply collaboration. There were five

sections to the survey: Section I – Demographics and Former WASD/JSD#2 EL Teaching

Position; Section II – Collaboration Experiences in WASD/JSD#2; Section III – Job Stress / Job

Satisfaction; Section IV – My EL Teaching Position(s) with WASD/JSD#2; and Section V –

Reasons for Leaving EL Teaching Position with WASD/JSD#2. Section one of the survey

covered demographical data of the participants, such as gender, teaching experience, and current

job. Section two included questions relating to the respondents’ beliefs about collaboration and

also asked for input on collaboration venues and experiences WASD/JSD#2. Section three

requested that participants rate their job stress and job satisfaction while teaching ELs for

WASD/JSD#2, and share specific factors that led to job stress and to job satisfaction. Section

four addressed whether their former EL teaching position was full or part time, and the grade

levels of the EL students with whom they worked. Section five sought information about the

factors that led the decision to leave EL teaching in WASD/JSD#2.

Usability. The FELTS is a four-page, 29-item survey for former EL teachers of the

WASD or JSD#2. The five sections of the survey are clearly marked and did not present

participants with difficulty. Completing the survey took from 15 to 30 minutes and was

available as a paper and pencil document or in electronic form as an Adobe survey document.

While the survey included twenty Likert-scale questions and several closed questions, the open-

ended questions about collaboration topics and venues required coding by the researcher to

identify commonalities and patterns in the responses. A researcher-developed survey was

chosen in order to include the specifics of collaboration in the WASD/JSD#2.


Current EL Teacher Survey. The Current EL Teacher Survey (CELTS) was developed

by the researcher who has worked for the WASD as both an EL teacher and an EL coach. The

CELTS (see Appendix C) includes demographics and EL teaching and collaboration experience

with the WASD with participants responding to both closed and open-ended questions.

Questions for the CELTS were developed using the researcher’s personal experience and

memory of conversations with the EL coaching staff, and both current and former EL teachers of

the WASD.

Validity. The validity of this researcher-developed survey came from the items being

based on the specifics of EL teacher collaboration experiences in West Ada. The items

incorporated the constraints of access and location under which EL teachers work and

collaborate. This measure had never been used before, therefore there is no other data to support

its validity.

Reliability. The CELTS consists of the same first three sections of the Former EL

Teacher Survey. The three sections of the survey were: Section I – Demographics and Current

WASD EL Teaching Position; Section II – Collaboration Experiences in West Ada; and Section

III – Job Stress / Job Satisfaction. Section one of the survey covered demographical data of the

participants, such as gender, teaching experience, and current EL teaching position. Section two

included questions relating to the respondents’ beliefs about collaboration and also asked for

input on collaboration venues and experiences West Ada. Section three requested participants to

rate their job stress and job satisfaction working as an EL teacher for WASD, and to share

specific factors that lead to job stress and to job satisfaction.

Usability. The CELTS is a four-page, 26-item survey for current West Ada EL teacher.

The three sections of the survey were clearly marked and did not present participants with


difficulty. Completing the survey took from 15 to 30 minutes and was completed as a paper and

pencil document or electronically as an Adobe survey document. While the survey included

twenty Likert-scale questions and several closed questions, the open-ended questions required

coding by the researcher to identify commonalities and patterns in the responses. A researcher-

developed survey was chosen in order to include the specifics of collaboration in the WASD.

Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale. Teacher efficacy, or the belief in her/his own

capability to meet the needs of students, was of interest to Dr. Megan Tschannen-Moran and Dr.

Anita Woolfolk Hoy because it “is a simple idea with significant implications” (Tschannen-

Moran & Hoy, 2001). In their 2001 study, they learned that there were several student outcomes

that could be positively affected by efficacy: achievement; motivation; and student efficacy.

Additionally, teachers with strong efficacy were more likely have higher levels of organization

and planning, and were more likely to be open to try new strategies and ideas in their classrooms.

However their investigation of several existing teacher efficacy scales revealed “persistent

measurement problems” (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001). Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2001)

developed a new measure in the process of the research they conducted at Ohio State University.

The measure was initially called the Ohio State teacher efficacy scale, but is now called the

Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Barr, 2004; Tschannen-Moran & Hoy,

2007). The efficacy scale was tested in three studies which reduced the number of items from 52

to a 24-item long form and a 12-item short form of the measure (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy,

2001).

For this research study the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy,

2001) long form of 24 items was used (TSES-24, see Appendix D). The researcher learned of

this measure while reviewing the literature on teacher efficacy and through a Google™ search


which led to Dr. Tschannen-Moran’s research tools website. The researcher then contacted Dr.

Megan Tschannen-Moran by phone and email to request permission to use the TSES-24. Dr.

Tschannen-Moran gave verbal and written permission to utilize the scale and, in turn, requested

that upon completion of this research study, a report of the study be shared with her.

Validity. To test the validity of its construct, the TSES-24 was assessed against two other

teacher efficacy measures to determine correlations. The TSES-24 positively correlated to the

Rand measure (Armor, & et.al., 1976) and the Hoy’s and Woolfolk’s (1993) adaptation of the

Gibson and Dembo Teacher Efficacy Scale (1984). The new measure, TSES-24, was revealed to

be reasonably valid due to correlations found during analysis of the three measures. There were

strong correlations between these measures on items that test personal teaching efficacy or those

classroom factors under a teacher’s personal control, and lower correlations on items assessing

general teaching efficacy or the external factors that influence students (Tschannen-Moran &

Hoy, 2001).

Reliability. According to Cronbach’s alpha requirement for reliability, an item must have

an alpha value of .7 or higher. The TSES-24 is statistically reliable as evidenced by an alpha

value of .94. Each of the 24 items on the TSES-24 relates to one of three categories of teacher

efficacy. There are eight items dealing with efficacy in student engagement, eight items

addressing efficacy in instructional strategies, and eight items covering efficacy in classroom

management.

Usability. The TSES-24 is a two-page survey for teachers. Each of its 24 items is

phrased as a question which participants rated on a nine-point Likert scale from ‘none at all’ to ‘a

great deal’. This survey was provided to participants according to their preference as either a

paper and pencil, or an online Adobe survey document. The TSES-24 took from ten to fifteen


minutes for participants to complete. It was chosen for this research study because of its simple,

user-friendly design for respondents and because of the clear scoring process for the researcher.

Method of Collection

The measures used to collect data for this study were questionnaires. Questionnaires

were chosen because the overall purpose of this research study was enquiry and also because as

Mills (2014) asserts questionnaires enable the researcher to gather a great deal of data in a short

amount of time. The surveys for this study were given to participants in the format of their

choice: paper and pencil, or as an electronic document. There was a six-week window in which

the teacher volunteers responded. Of the former and current EL teachers who consented to

participate in the study, ten former EL teachers completed only the researcher-developed FELTS

survey, while the current EL teachers and ten former EL teachers completed two surveys, either

the CELTS or the FELTS, and the TSES-24. The CELTS and FELTS, researcher-developed

surveys addressed areas of demographics, EL teacher collaboration, job stress, and job

satisfaction; some responses were recorded on a Likert scale and others were open-ended. The

second measure was the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001),

which asked participants to judge their own capability to meet the needs of their students in their

current teaching position by responding to twenty-four, Likert-style questions. The completed

surveys were returned either through the US postal system or as an email attachment.

Data Analysis

Method of Analysis

This mixed-methods study used questionnaires to survey current and former West Ada

EL teachers in order to investigate the question, “What is the relationship between EL teacher


collaboration and self-efficacy?” The researcher anticipated that data analysis would reveal that

there is a relationship between EL teacher collaboration and efficacy.

Sample participants were certified teachers who have/had been employed as EL teachers

for the West Ada School District, the state of Idaho’s largest school district, over the past fifteen

years. The quantitative and qualitative samples were comprised of both current and former EL

teachers. Individuals who have taught EL for the West Ada School District over the past fifteen

years are representative of EL teachers working in Idaho’s larger suburban school districts and as

well as EL teachers working in similar suburban school districts throughout this country.

Participant recruits for this study are currently or have been employed as EL teachers in

the elementary, middle or high schools of the West Ada School District. All 23 current West

Ada EL teachers and 27 former West Ada EL teachers were contacted; not every former EL

teacher was contacted. The 50 EL teachers who were contacted had the study described to them

and were asked to participate in one of three ways: at a West Ada district-level EL teachers’

meeting, individually by, or through written correspondence from the researcher. The participant

recruits were handed, mailed, or email a consent form to return to the researcher if they agreed to

voluntarily participate in the study.

Three instruments were used in this study, two were developed by the researcher and the

third was developed through the research about teacher self-efficacy conducted by Drs.

Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2001). Dr. Tschannen-Moran gave permission for the use of the

instrument entitled the Teachers Sense of Efficacy Scale. The researcher-developed surveys

inquired about EL teacher collaboration, job stress and job satisfaction. During a six week

window, the surveys were sent to participants according to their preference of form, either


electronic or paper-pencil format. Some follow-up emails and phone calls were necessary to

clarify some responses.

This mixed-methods study required both quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Quantitative analysis was conducted for responses to both the Current EL Teacher Survey

(CELTS), and the Former EL Teacher Survey (FELTS), and the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale

(TSES), including a two tailed, bivariate correlation analysis to determine if there is a

relationship between EL teacher collaboration and self-efficacy. Qualitative analysis of the

responses to some of the open-ended questions of the CELTS and the FELTS required coding

and categorization, which was then organized into themes. Initially, the researcher intended to

include more of the qualitative data, but decided to exclude much of the qualitative data in order

to protect the confidentiality of the participants.

Results of Analysis

Quantitative analysis involved conducting a two-tailed, bivariate correlation analysis of

three variables. The variables included in the analysis were: 1) the TSES – Teacher Sense of

Efficacy Scale, 2) the frequency of collaboration between certified EL teachers in the same

building, and 3) the frequency of collaboration between certified EL teachers in different

buildings within one school district. The analysis revealed a statistically significant positive

correlation, r(29) = .034, p< .05, between teacher efficacy and the frequency of collaboration

between certified EL teachers in the same building. This correlation indicates that an EL

teacher, assigned to a school at which another EL teacher also works, will have the opportunity

to collaborate with a peer who has the same instructional and consultative responsibilities. This

opportunity to collaborate provides the benefit of increasing self-efficacy or that EL teacher’s

belief in her or his ability to meet the needs of her or his limited English proficient students.


Qualitative analysis of the responses to the open-ended questions about collaboration on

the CELTS and the FELTS required coding and categorization to identify themes. The

qualitative sample participants (N=42) were given 21 topics and asked to select all topics about

which she or he would like to collaborate with other EL teachers. Every topic offered on the

survey was selected. The most-selected topics were: consulting with general education teachers

(35 responses), resources (33 responses), and Response to Intervention (RTI) for EL students (30

responses). Figure 1 displays the totals of participant responses for all topic listed on the

CELTS/FELTS.

Figure 1

The survey also asked for suggestions for other collaboration topics; eight participants

offered additional topics. Some of the additional topics suggested for collaboration with other EL

0 10 20 30 40

Consulting with Gen. Ed. Teachers

Resources

RTI for EL students

Family Involvement

Student Academic Needs

Instructional Strategies

Advocating for Students

Implementing WIDA / EL Standards

Interventions

Assessment

Differentiation

Teaching Writing

Educational Learning Plans

Student Engagement

Idaho Core / State Standards

Teaching Reading

Classroom Management

Teaching Grammar

Teaching Listening

Teaching Speaking

Conducting Meetings

Topics for EL teacher collaboration


teachers were: 1) teaching, adapting, and/or modifying current district curriculum so that it is

“appropriate for EL students,” 2) scheduling and student placement, 3) “valuing students home

language and cultures,” 4) ancillary issues, such as poverty, lack of access to technology and/or

technological skills, the “impact of social media on … EL students,” and 5) “strategies and

resources specifically for newcomers.”

Some participants described their ideas for increasing opportunities for collaboration

between EL teachers. Three themes emerged from the ideas shared by twenty-two of the

respondents. The most commonly suggested theme was to build into the annual schedule days or

half-days for “in-person” “instructional collaboration” with “no other agenda” when EL teachers,

as one participant wrote, “can discuss … the issues they are facing at their individual schools, …

EL teachers would feel less isolated and, maybe, more empowered to serve their student

populations.” Some teachers have already created their own opportunities, as another stated, “I

met with another EL … teacher this year for a professional development day to co-plan units.”

The second theme to emerge was that technology should be used to facilitate collaboration

between EL teachers in different schools that are geographically too distant for teachers to meet

face to face during district-mandated collaboration time on Wednesday mornings. As one

respondent shared, “I like the web cam video collaborations …. It's the best and most time

efficient way to collaborate with other EL teachers I've experienced since I began working as an

EL teacher for this school district." The third theme involves establishing a common prep time

for EL faculty who teach the same grade levels or subjects. One participant stated, “I would love

to give up a prep period once a month in order to get ideas from other teachers.”

Findings

Implications for Practice


Currently, West Ada provides a weekly, district-wide, mandated collaboration time on

Wednesdays, during the first hour of the school day for all elementary, middle and high schools.

EL teachers are responsible for participating according to their teaching assignment(s). EL

teachers who are the only EL teacher in their school, typically collaborate with a grade-level

team, a content-area department, or an individual teacher during Wednesday collaboration, but

rarely have the opportunity to collaborate with another EL teacher. There are some West Ada

EL teachers who are assigned to work in a school with another EL teacher and because of this

proximity, they have more opportunities to collaborate with a fellow EL teacher. Collaboration

with grade-level teams, content-area departments, or individual teachers is necessary and

important because it provides a mechanism through which the result can be improved support for

EL students and professional development or growth for teachers in the instruction of and

teaching strategies for culturally and linguistically diverse students. However, since not all EL

teachers have the opportunity to collaborate with other EL teachers during district-mandated

collaboration time, they do not reap the benefits that result from collaborating with other

educators fulfilling the same role. The statistically significant positive correlation between EL

teacher self-efficacy and collaboration between certified EL teachers in the same building found

by the data analysis, indicates that a priority should be placed on providing regular opportunities

for all West Ada EL teachers to collaborate with another EL teacher or teachers.

Limitations of Study

The researcher’s focus on EL teachers of the West Ada School District created a

significant limitation because of the resulting small sample sizes. Both the quantitative sample

(N=32) and the qualitative sample (N=42) sizes were very small. Other limitations resulted

because the researcher-created surveys, the CELTS and the FELTS, were new and untried. The


sequence of questions resulted in some respondents not answering all of the questions which

pertained to her or him and for some questions the options listed were too narrow in scope, both

of which affected the data collected.

Recommendations for Future Study

The EL teachers who participated in this study are also representative of ‘singleton’

teachers which is a term used in the West Ada School District. Singletons are teachers of

disciplines or content areas for which there are fewer and sometimes only one class offered at a

school during a school year, such as band, choir, orchestra, health occupations, family &

consumer science, and professional/technical education teachers. Also, teachers in small rural

schools may be ‘singletons’ due to the size of their school district or community. The benefits of

providing collaboration opportunities to ‘singleton’ teachers is an area that would benefit from

further research. Additionally, further research should be done on which modes of collaboration

yield the most benefit to EL teachers or other singleton teachers. Online collaboration and

periodic full- or half-day collaboration opportunities which are built into teachers’ schedules are

venues that should be researched further. Particular attention should be focused on the venues

for collaboration offered through technological platforms which could allow for collaboration

across large distances. Additionally, research into teachers in different buildings being assigned

the same planning period to facilitate their availability for electronic collaboration would be

beneficial to the field of education.

Conclusion

Research has documented that teachers can improve their instructional practice through

sustained collaboration (Baecher, Rorimer, & Smith, 2012; Greene, Kim, & Marioni, 2007).

There are, however, those isolated teachers for whom collaboration with like-colleagues is


difficult due to their content area or geographical location. Collaboration is meant to benefit

students by providing an opportunity for teachers to learn from colleagues, therefore it is

incumbent upon school leadership to ensure that all faculty are benefiting from this valuable

professional development mechanism.

Given the statistically significant correlation found between EL teacher collaboration and

self-efficacy, it would seem to be important for the school district to provide ways for ‘singleton’

teachers, including EL teachers and faculty in other disciplines who are working in isolation

from their peers to collaborate with peer teachers in West Ada. Additionally, ways of providing

opportunities for collaboration that are extended, a half- or full-day, should be explored. As one

teacher articulated,

“I think that for collaboration to be meaningful (i.e.: allowing teachers

opportunities not just to talk about instruction but also to digest, reflect, and try

out/implement ideas that come as a result of that collaboration) it needs to take

place in larger chunks of time. During mandated collaboration - lasting only

around 45 min to an hour - teachers generally participate, but when the allotted

collaboration time is up, they find themselves rushing back to their classrooms

and getting swept up in the day to day requirements that teaching requires. Thus,

they have little to no time to meaningfully reflect - when the thinking is fresh in

their minds - and work towards putting the ideas from collaboration into action.”

For school leaders in West Ada, it is necessary to ensure that EL teachers have additional regular

opportunities to learn from and with other EL teachers, so that they are empowered to more

effectively support their general education peers and meet the needs of a vulnerable student

population, their culturally and linguistically diverse students.


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http://wmpeople.wm.edu/asset/index/mxtsch/_14


Appendix A

NIH Certificate


Appendix B

Former EL Teacher Survey





Appendix C

Current EL Teacher Survey





Appendix D

Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale


Documents

An investigation of the relationship between English