Teacher use of and beliefs about media in the ESL elementary school classrooms of Texas

Elementary school teachers use a variety of media to expedite the English language learning of their ESL students. This study focuses on how they use it, and how their media use relates to their beliefs about teaching and learning ESL.;I conducted a state-wide survey about teachers' use of media and also four case studies of elementary school ESL teachers in Texas. The statewide survey was distributed to 183 school districts. Four mailings secured 107 responses (56.6% return rate). The state-wide survey showed that tape recorders, VCRs, computers and overhead projectors are the most frequently used media. The least frequently used media are radios, laser discs, slides, and telephones. The most popular combination of media and activity was the tape recorder used for rhymes or songs. Teachers cited sensory mode and social preference as the two main considerations in media use.;Four case studies of elementary school ESL teachers generated data about teaching ESL, using media, and teacher beliefs and the sources that influence them. An adaptation of Kelly's (1955) Repertory Grid technique indicated that teachers' criteria for making decisions fell into five possible categories: (1) behavior management; (2) student work; (3) teacher planning; (4) ESL and BE; and (5) media use. Other interviews revealed various ways of using media: one teacher carefully chose media to supplement her lessons; two teachers allowed the content of the media to direct their planning and teaching; and the fourth teacher unsuccessfully imposed computers on her students.;The four teachers cited three main influences on their beliefs and decisions: (1) assumptions about the parents of their students; (2) information from workshops, professional journals and educational televised broadcasts; and (3) information about students such as grades or degree of computer proficiency. The teachers addressed ESL in different ways: two of the four teachers taught ESL across the day (having phased out a separate ESL period after the first two months of the school year); the third teacher never had a separate ESL class; the fourth teacher taught solely in Spanish, assuming that her students would learn English outside of the classroom.* ftn*Originally published in DAI vol. 56, no. 10. Reprinted here with corrected title.