Universal design for learning and English language learning

With the increase in the number of English language learners in the United States there are specific expectations for educators to prepare courses that have been designed for English language learners. Third and fourth grade urban elementary English language learners have low academic achievement levels in English language arts compared to other third and fourth grade urban elementary learners (Garcia, 2011; NAEP, 2011; Snyder & Dillow, 2011). The participants of this study included English language learners enrolled in an urban elementary school within a school district located in the northeastern region of the United States in grades three and four. This study investigated the relationship between the use of a course designed using the principles of universal design for learning and the academic achievement of third and fourth grade urban elementary English language learners. A quasi-experimental non-equivalent (pretest and posttest) control group design was used to determine the difference in student academic achievement as measured by the difference between pretest and posttest scores. The use of a pretest controlled for differences in initial understanding between the groups. A repeated measures test was performed to compare test scores of the experimental and control groups. A two-factor ANOVA was used to determine the effects of universal design for learning principles among different student segments by gender and ethnicity. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to determine the effects of universal design for learning principles among student segments in different classrooms. There was no evidence for effects for universal design for learning, including when gender and ethnicity are included as factors. There was an effect for type of classroom, which indicates that type of classroom can have an effect on learning. The findings from this study can affect how instructional designers do their job. In general, students learned, and the students taught using the universal design for learning principles appeared to learn as well as the students who received conventional instruction. Therefore it would not likely be of any negative value if instructional designers implemented universal design for learning strategies in their course designs for English language learning for urban elementary English language learners. There may be benefits that were not tested in this study beyond test scores to trying to implement courses designed using universal design for learning principles. The results from this study showed that students in the library scored higher in both the experimental and control groups than students in the classroom. Based on this finding instructional designers should consider classroom space as an important instructional consideration, possibly as a universal design factor. Classroom characteristics should be studied further to determine whether they should be considered elements of universal design for learning principles.