ESL Students and Placement

For this research project, I wanted to address the controversial issue about the appropriate placement of English as a Second Language (ESL) students: Should they be placed in self-contained ESL classes or mainstream classes? At the start of the project, my understanding of the issue was limited to the theoretical debates of the advocates and opponents of bilingual education. While opponents of bilingual education believe that ESL students should be immersed in the mainstream classrooms, where they will be exposed to native English speakers, advocates argue that ESL students will not be able compete academically with their native English-speaking counterparts. I tended to side with the advocates of bilingual education because I, too, felt that it would be extremely challenging for ESL students with language difficulties to cope with their academic tasks in English.

In spite of my opinion, I was intrigued by this topic because of its highly controversial nature. More importantly, as I consider entering the profession of teaching, I felt that it was important for me to investigate this issue in greater depth. As the U.S. becomes an increasingly multicultural society with the influx of many immigrant students, I strongly believed that it was critical for the education community to examine this challenge and resolve it in an effective way for ESL students. In the long run, not only educators, but also society as a whole, will be experiencing the adverse impact of high r

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Category: Psychology - E