Understanding the Socioemotional Worlds of English Learners: A Retrospective Study

A Prevention Agenda for 2020 and Beyond: Why Environmental Interventions Matter Now More Than Ever

“…These students, often labeled as English learners (ELs) or emergent bilinguals (EBs), are typically placed in English as a second language (ESL) or bilingual education programs when they are learning to become proficient in English. However, schools vary in which types of language programs they utilize (ESL vs. bilingual education), sometimes based on policies that exist at the state or district level, and these policy decisions have an impact on EL students' social and emotional well-being (Vera et al, 2018). A student in a bilingual education program may receive curricular instruction in both English and their native language, often delivered by a bilingual teacher, whereas an ESL student may have no peers who share their first language or home culture, and may be taught exclusively in English in the absence of any bilingual professionals.…”

“…Individual and group-based prevention programs have confronted challenges to documenting outcomes for as long as programs have been in existence. Yet, when we shift the focus of our interventions away from individuals, it becomes necessary to rethink our definition of effectiveness (Vera et al, 2018;Vera & Kenny, 2012). The impact of microsystemic or macrosystemic environmental interventions, or policy change interventions, is rarely immediate.…”

“…Marla Israel and Amy Heineke, our interdisciplinary collaboration has allowed us to partner with school administrators, such as superintendents and principals, who make decisions about educational programming, such as ESL, bilingual education, and dual language immersion programs. By collaborating with the policy makers in these school settings, we have been able to influence the microsystemic factors (i.e., school environment, educational resources) that affect the well-being of EL students (Vera et al, 2018) and their families . At the same time, our collaborations have also allowed us to identify gaps in community resources and larger societal systems that will require political advocacy for policy change at the state and federal levels.…”

Beyond Traditional Response to Intervention: Helping Rural Educators Understand English Learners’ Needs

“…Like some U.S.-born ELs, they may spend their childhoods watching their parents struggle with feelings of discrimination and legal proceedings related to the immigration process (Pumariega & Rothe, 2010). Longer time and adverse incidents while attending EL programs can also erode students’ emotional resilience, make them feel marginalized, and diminish their sense of belonging to the school community (Castro-Olivo et al, 2011; Vera et al, 2018). The social and emotional strain suffered by these children may affect both their behavior (Mendoza et al, 2017) and their motivation and readiness to learn.…”

Emergent bilingual high school students' social and emotional experiences

“…However, even when these students are academically successful, EBLs tend to experience language discrimination and culturally related stressors that create unique challenges for their social and emotional well‐being (Rosenbloom & Way, 2004). Few studies have focused on the socio‐emotional experiences related to being an EBL, and the data which do exist suggest that these students may be in need of greater support from teachers and school mental health professionals than they currently receive (Clemente & Collison, 2000; Vera et al, 2018).…”