03/29/2022
By Lizzie Casanave

The School of Education invites you to attend an Ed.D. dissertation defense by Brendan Burke on “Multilingual Learners And Perceptions Of School Climate In A Massachusetts Public High School.”

Date: April 11, 2022
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: This will be a virtual dissertation defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending should contact Jack_Schneider@uml.edu to request access to the Zoom link.

Dissertation Chair: Jack Schneider Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Dissertation Committee:

  • Johanna Tigert, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Linda Riley, Ed.D.

Abstract:
The setting for this research study is a public 9-12 high school in a major city in Massachusetts. At the high school, there are achievement gaps between multilingual learners and their peers. This research investigated the size of these achievement gaps by looking at academic performance data. A mixed-methods approach was then used to investigate student perceptions of the school climate, and the effect that this school climate could have on the performance of multilingual learner students. The study aimed to answer two questions of practice: How do students perceive the school climate at the high school? What is the relationship between English language learner status and student perception of the school climate? The data indicated that multilingual learner students largely had positive perceptions of the school climate, but that there were unmet needs related to mentoring, family outreach, translation services, and culturally responsive pedagogy. These issues were of particular importance for multilingual learners. Research in the field indicates that multilingual learners do have unique needs related to school climate, and that improving school climate for multilingual learners can lead to more positive academic outcomes. Therefore, schools must put in place interventions to monitor and support the in-school experiences of multilingual learners. These interventions can include mentoring programs, family outreach initiatives, professional development around culturally responsive pedagogy, and increased opportunities for first-language support in schools.