ELL excel: Using peer mentoring to help English Language Learners excel in American classrooms.

摘要

This action research study describes implementation of a peer mentorship program to improve the performance of English language learners at the research site, a suburban high school in Ohio. With the rapidly increasing number of English language learners at the research site as well as schools across the country and the expectations of No Child Left Behind and AYP subgrouping, this was a problem that needed a solution. Among the 38 English Language Learners at the site, eight were chosen based on various data points. These students were assigned to work with four bilingual mentors, who were also chosen based on various criteria in regular classroom settings. Throughout the six week study, mentor and mentee pairs were studied using an interview protocol, mentor/mentee surveys and questionnaires, mentor log sheets, and observation protocol. The study found that mentees' confidence increased in speaking and communicating in English and that mentors and mentees enjoyed the mentor/mentee experience. The instrumentation for data collection produced the previously mentioned findings to answer the overarching research question, "How can a peer mentoring program improve the academic performance of English language learners?" The findings of the research showed that the participants greatly valued the socialization portion of the program and the interventions may have contributed to improving academic performance. The implication of the study for the field of education is that a peer mentoring model is a promising strategy to improve the academic performance of English language learners and improve their socialization.