Education, Elementary--Curricula.

This critical explanatory mixed methods study examined elementary teachers’
perceptions regarding the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature in the curriculum. An
electronic survey questionnaire and focus group sessions were used to collect both
quantitative and qualitative data that described the perceived benefits and barriers of
LGBTQ-themed literature and teachers’ level of interest in attending professional
developing on this topic. The sample population for this study consisted of 100
participants. All 100 participants completed the electronic survey questionnaire, and a
subset of 10 of the survey respondents participated in focus groups to explore further the
perceived benefits and barriers relating to the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature.
There were five key findings that emerged in relation to the research questions for this
survey: (1) although teachers perceive parental backlash and insufficient training as the
two most significant barriers preventing them from including LGBTQ-themed literature in their classroom, their beliefs and comfort levels surrounding LGBTQ individuals and
topics are significant barriers as well; (2) participants felt there were many significant
benefits that might result from the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature, including
building an increased awareness of diversity among students and less bullying in regards
to sexual orientation/gender expression; (3) participants felt that parents and
administration have significant control over what teachers can teach in their classrooms,
and that their autonomy and choice was straightjacketed by the demands of the parents
and administrators; (4) participants were interested in attending professional development
training focusing on the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature; and (5) Black
respondents expressed more hesitation towards the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed
literature as well as towards attending LGBTQ-themed professional development than
other demographic subgroups.

Drawing on the principles of critical multicultural teacher education, Teaching
English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and bilingual education, this study
examined how pre-service teachers were prepared to educate Emerging Bilinguals (EBs)
in ESOL-infused teacher education programs in Florida universities. The textual analysis
of a purposeful sample of five elementary-level English Language Arts (ELA) methods
textbooks, utilizing a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, revealed that
authors overwhelmingly referred to EBs as English learners or English language learners,
rather than bilinguals or dual language learners, and devoted less than 5% of the total
content of four textbooks to topics about teaching methods, curriculum, and assessment
for EBs. Evidence of five forms of curriculum bias was found, including invisibility,
linguistic bias, fragmentation and isolation, stereotyping, and imbalance and selectivity. The findings suggest that textbook authors value knowledge about teaching EBs
less than knowledge about teaching native English-speakers. EBs were stereotyped as a
homogenous group of struggling readers and essentialized in terms of their limited
English proficiency. One author conflated students’ language differences with physical
limitations and learning disabilities, a troubling mischaracterization in the context of the
overrepresentation of EBs in special education. Meanwhile, a preference shown for ESL
methods over bilingual methods, based upon misconceptions about how EBs learn,
suggests that textbook authors undervalue the cultures and linguistic skills that students
bring from home.
The hidden curriculum in ELA methods textbooks may influence a majority of
pre-service teachers, who are typically monolingual and raised in the English-dominant
mainstream culture, to develop a deficit view of EBs and utilize a one-size-fits-all
approach towards ELA instruction. In order to prepare pre-service teachers to educate
EBs for academic success, the teacher education curriculum must include material that
explains linguistically responsive instruction and describes effective bilingual education
models, within a critical pedagogical framework. Without this knowledge, pre-service
teachers may continue instructional practices that contribute to a persistent “achievement
gap” experienced by EBs. A transformation of the ELA methods curriculum is required
so that pre-service teachers are prepared to implement a humanizing pedagogy that
facilitates positive identity formation as it develops bilingual and biliterate students.