Preparedness and Perceptions: Examining Pre-Service Teachers’ Readiness to Educate English Language Learners in Southwest Florida

Abstract

The English Language Learners (ELLs) student population in Southwest Florida is growing, and adequately prepared teachers are needed to meet the wealth of diversity—and the challenges—that they bring. Utilizing a quantitative research design, this study examined pre-service teachers’ readiness to educate ELLs through their perceptions, be it institutional support, training, and cultural and linguistic diversity-related teaching strategies. Data from 104 pre-service teachers attending a Southwest Florida medium-sized public university were collected via a 20-item Likert scale survey instrument. Also, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) validated a three-factor model. The findings indicated that pre-service teachers hold positive attitudes toward culturally responsive teaching and are inclined to recognize the importance of specialized training. However, a lack of institutional support and a sentiment of uncertainty in implementing teaching methods for the ELL population made participants insecure. Thus, results indicate the need for teacher education programs to provide more practical training and for institutions to strengthen support, thereby improving the readiness of pre-service teachers to educate ELLs.