How Preservice Teachers Develop Awareness and Beliefs About Design Features and Academic Language Features When Choosing and Evaluating Digital Math Games for English Language Learners

This mixed methods study examined how preservice teachers developed awareness and beliefs about design features and academic language features when choosing and evaluating digital math games for English language learners. The overarching research question for this study was, “How do preservice teachers develop awareness and beliefs about design features and academic language features when choosing and evaluating digital math games for English language learners (ELLs)?” During the study, 21 elementary preservice teachers participated in online learning modules about design features and academic language features in digital math games. During the modules, preservice teachers chose and evaluated three digital math games for ELLs based on their awareness of the design features and academic language features in the games. Preservice teachers completed a pre- and post-belief survey, a pre- and post-evaluation rubric, two module reflections, and participated in semistructured interviews. I analyzed qualitative and quantitative data by identifying common themes among open-ended responses on the surveys and evaluation rubrics, module reflections, and responses to the semi-structured interviews. I then used frequency tables to count the themes that emerged and visualized the frequency counts using bar graphs. I then examined the changes in beliefs from pre- to post-surveys and scores from pre- to post- evaluation rubrics. Finally, I compared the results from these analyses to examine how the qualitative and quantitative results agreed or disagreed. Results showed a positive change in preservice teachers’ beliefs about using digital math games to enhance mathematics instruction for ELLs after they participated in the learning modules. Results also showed an increase in preservice teachers’ awareness of design features and academic language features. This indicates that using the learning modules, and the opportunity to choose and evaluate the digital math games, supported a positive impact on preservice teachers’ beliefs and awareness of design features and academic language features