Second Language Acquisition Instructional Models in International Schools in East Asia

Abstract

The international school market continues to grow at a rapid pace, and a considerable amount of growth is taking place in East Asia. With the majority of international school enrollment being local students, care should be taken when developing or restructuring the second language acquisition (SLA) instructional model employed in the school. The purpose of this study was to explore the current use and preference of SLA instructional models in international schools in East Asia. The researchers further sought to explore the difference in preference of SLA instructional models between administrators and teachers. This quantitative exploratory survey-based study had 543 participants, all of whom were active administrators and teachers in international schools in East Asia. The main findings of the study revealed that there are differences between implemented and preferred SLA instructional models in international schools in East Asia. Additional findings include the frequency of SLA instructional model implementation and that there was no statistically significant difference in SLA instructional model preference between administrators and teachers. Findings from this study can allow stakeholders and policymakers to understand current practices and potential future shifts in SLA instructional models in international schools in East Asia.

Push-in Language Support in English-Medium International Schools

“…Additionally, 34.6% of the remaining portion expressed a neutral position towards push-in, and 13.8% reported that teachers were not satisfied with the push-in model. The relatively low percentage of teacher satisfaction with the push-in model is a concern since a large percentage of international schools are implementing an SLA IM that uses push-in, and a sizeable percentage of staff in international schools prefer an SLA IM that uses push-in to support ELLs (Lehman & Welch, 2020a).…”

“…In the present study, only 51.5% of the participants reported that teachers were satisfied with the push-in model, while 34.6% were neutral and 13.8% were not satisfied. Because many international schools are implementing an SLA IM using push-in and numerous staff members prefer push-in (Lehman & Welch, 2020a), it is imperative that school leaders provide support structures that successfully facilitate the implementation of an SLA IM using push-in.…”

“…Over the years, the provision for English language learner (ELL) support in Englishmedium international schools has evolved from being traditionally a pull-out-based model (Carder, 2014) to be more of a mixture of pull-out and push-in (Lehman & Welch, 2020a). An English-medium international school can be defined as a school that uses English as the medium of instruction and does not use the curriculum of the host country.…”

“…A school language policy should state the what, how, and why of instruction (Ricento & Hornberger, 1996). As more English-medium international schools implement the push-in SLA IM or the hybrid model using both push-in and pull-out (Lehman & Welch, 2020a), school leaders should provide support structures that facilitate the successful implementation of push-in support. In essence, the social well-being of the teachers and the academic and social well-being of ELL students are dependent upon teachers having a solid understanding of their roles (Shoebottom, 2009).…”

Resources for ELLs in International Schools: A Non-profit and For-profit Comparison

“…Viewed as a hub, the support of ELL specialist teachers would reach out to ELLs by liaising with teachers and other departments in support of ELLs. While the use of the push-in model for supporting ELL is increasing, there is still a demand for pull-out support; additionally, there is an increasing desire for intensive English language programs (IELP) in international schools (Lehman & Welch, 2020). The use of the pull-out and IELP instructional models for SLA requires a dedicated teaching space.…”