03/04/2026
By Zakkiyya Witherspoon

The School of Education invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Victoria Dye “Learning By Doing: The Impact Of Professional Development And Lesson Study On Math Teachers’ Self-Efficacy for Supporting English Learners."

Candidate: Victoria Dye
Degree: Doctoral- Ed.D. Leadership in Schooling
Defense Date: March 17, 2026
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Via Zoom
Thesis/Dissertation Title: Learning By Doing: The Impact Of Professional Development And Lesson Study On Math Teachers’ Self-Efficacy for Supporting English Learners

Dissertation Committee

  • Chair: William Goldsworthy, Ed.D., Adjunct Professor, Leadership in Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Committee Member: Linda Riley, Ed.D., Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract
Acute disparities exist between the academic success of English Learners (ELs) and their non-EL peers in mathematics, evidenced by local, state, and national achievement data. The underperformance of ELs in math signals an urgent systemic inequity affecting 10% of students nationwide and almost 20% of Californian students. Success in mathematics has crucial implications for educational equity, postsecondary access, and economic justice for English Learners (ELs). Poor math achievement fuels inequitable outcomes, including lower high school graduation and college eligibility, ultimately leading to a lifetime of fewer opportunities.
This dissertation-in-practice leveraged principles of improvement science to understand the scale of the problem of low mathematics achievement among ELs, identify causal contributors, and carry out an improvement process. The present mixed-methods study focused on improving teachers’ use of optimal instructional approaches and sense of self-efficacy for supporting ELs in math. The intervention employed professional development on language supports in math and lesson study collaboration structures.

Study findings indicated that the intervention had a large, statistically significant impact on teacher self-efficacy for supporting ELs in math, exceeding the aim of a 10% improvement after a six-week intervention. Data also revealed improvements in the use of language support strategies from pre-intervention to post-intervention observations. The study’s findings have important implications for increasing the impact of professional development for English Learner support strategies in math and other subject areas.

Keywords: English Learners; multi-lingual learners; math; lesson study; language support