| This dissertation analyzed the ways in which elementary school teachers in Massachusetts experienced the impact of Question 2 (Q2). Q2, a ballot initiative approved by Massachusetts voters, replaced the 30-year old legislation mandating transitional bilingual education with English-only classrooms for English language learners (ELLs). Q2 forbids the use of students' native languages for instruction, allowing minimal use of languages other than English in the newly mandated sheltered English immersion (SEI) classrooms. In order to ensure compliance, Q2 establishes severe punishments for any school employee who refuses to implement the law. Within a few months, more than 50 school districts in Massachusetts were mandated to restructure their programs for ELLs and to develop new SEI programs.; Using a mixed methods design (Creswell, Plano Clark, Gutmann & Hanson, 2003), two collective case studies were the focus of the dissertation. Through interviews and document analysis, the Schools Collective Case Studies focused on the implementation of Q2's mandates in three elementary schools and the ways teachers in each school experienced Q2's impact. The Type of Teachers Collective Case Studies used both interviews and questionnaire results to portray the similarities and differences among experiences of mainstream (ME), SEI, and two-way bilingual education (TWBE) teachers working in seven elementary schools.; The results suggest that teachers' experiences with the passage and implementation of Q2 were mediated by macro-level, mid-level, and individual-level influences. Teachers in each classroom setting experienced Q2's mandates in varying degrees. As a group, SEI teachers experienced Q2 as a complex, multi-dimensional process that brought several challenges as well as some positive and negative consequences to their teaching positions, classrooms, instruction, and/or professional identities. The majority of ME and TWBE teachers experienced Q2 mandates in less complex ways. While there were similarities in the experiences of teachers across classroom settings, each teacher uniquely adapted Q2 mandates. |
