Chapter 1: A Case Study: One Novice Middle Level Teacher’s Beliefs, Challenges, and Practices for Young Adolescent English Language Learners

Through the use of case study methodology, this qualitative research study explores one fifth grade novice teacher’s stated beliefs, challenges, and practices with regard to English language learners in an urban school. The study examines the teacher’s difficulties, strategies, and knowledge in facilitating the students’ language and literacy learning. The data include interviews, classroom observations, and artifacts. The findings suggest that the teacher has positive perceptions of English language learners even though she encounters challenges in meeting the students’ different literacy levels. These findings will help to understand the kinds of difficulties novice teachers might encounter and how teachers can be better prepared to meet the needs of middle-grades’ English language learners.