Meeting the needs of English language learners: How well prepared do beginning New Zealand primary school teachers feel?

Abstract

The New Zealand Curriculum (2007) and other recent Ministry of Education publications have stated that effective teachers attend to the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners, many of whom are English language learners (ELLs). A small-scale survey of Provisionally Registered Teachers (PRTs) who had completed primary teacher training within the last four years was carried out. It was thought that these teachers would be most able to recall any preparation for teaching ELLs in their Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme. The teachers were asked whether their ITE had provided them with knowledge about second language acquisition, specific learning needs of ELLs, and resources and strategies for teaching ELLs. The data obtained indicated that the PRTs felt underprepared to meet the needs of ELLs, particularly in some areas. This paper presents the results of the survey, and suggests implications, directions for further research and recommendations for teacher educators