INCREASING SELF-EFFICACY IN EXPLICIT TEACHING OF ORAL LANGUAGE TO ENGLISH LEARNERS THROUGH KNOWLEDGE BUILDING

Abstract

ABSTRACT Title of capstone: INCREASING SELF-EFFICACY IN EXPLICITTEACHING OF ORAL LANGUAGE TO ENGLISH LEARNERS THROUGH KNOWLEDGE BUILDING Karen Evie Key, 2026 Capstone directed by: Professor Shannon Maura KaneDepartment of Education In the Crowne Point School District, only 12% of English Learners (ELs) met establishedreading benchmarks in 2023, compared to 23% of non-EL students, a gap this capstone sought to begin addressing through targeted professional development focused on oral language instruction. Although the Science of Reading (SOR) provides evidence-based frameworks for reading instruction, research indicates that oral language development, critical for EL literacy success, remains overlooked in classroom practice. Using an improvement science methodology, the researcher conducted two Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles with 12 elementary literacy leaders from high-EL-population schools (60% or higher). Data were collected through pre-, post-, and follow-up surveys, focus groups, exit tickets, lesson plan artifacts, and researcher memos, and were analyzed using thematic and document analysis. Findings revealed significant gains across multiple dimensions: 82% of participants reported absolute understanding of oral language post-PD (compared to 50% split between "some" and "most" pre-PD); 100% reported being 'Mostly' or 'Absolutely' confident in identifying specific OL strategies for ELs. Participants demonstrated a shift from incidental to intentional teaching of OL, with enhanced capacity to locate existing OL strategies in the curriculum and add new ones where gaps existed. The professional development design, featuring iterative sessions, active learning, coaching support, and job-embedded assignments, proved effective in building educator capacity. Notably, instructional time constraints emerged as a persistent barrier to full implementation, a systemic challenge that professional development alone cannot resolve. These findings suggest that well-designed, targeted PD can effectively build literacy leader capacity to support EL oral language development, positioning leaders as agents of change within their schools and districts.