The impact of disaggregating concept and specialist language on content learning and academic Identity formation: an instructional approach for English language learners in content-rich subjects

This study investigated the impact of disaggregating concepts and specialist language in teaching content-rich courses such as Science and Mathematics. A particular teaching strategy was developed, implemented and evaluated during the teaching intervention: Engaging Disaggregation of Word and concept INstruction (EDWINs). EDWINs aimed primarily to address the challenges confronting English Language Learners (ELLs) in learning Science and Mathematics implied by recent literature. This literature reflected three concerns: first, the use of specialist language in Science poses difficulty in acquiring scientific literacies. Second, highly abstract academic language in Mathematics poses similar difficulty. Third, pressure on students to use specialist language may reduce their engagement, as symbolic cultural membership in the discipline may signal identity mismatch which promotes student perceptions of inferiority rather than inclusion. The impact of disaggregation was investigated through an Embedded Mixed Methods Design study that drew on quantitative test results and interpretation of classroom interactions, comparing group performances and social interaction during the classroom instruction. The participating classes were taken from schools in the southernmost part of the Philippines. There were four elementary and four high schools being involved, two urban and two rural schools at each level and one private and one public school in each pair.The disaggregated approach appeared to have substantial impact on both Science and Mathematics achievement. Students taught using the disaggregated approach demonstrated greater improvement in both conceptual and linguistic understanding than those taught by more traditional methods. This suggests that using a disaggregated approach may lessen student difficulty within content-rich courses with English as the medium of instruction.