English language instructors’ perceptions of equity and its practical implementation

This study examines the perspectives of English language instructors regarding equitable instruction in relation to adult community college English language learners. Equity in education is an important goal to improve student outcomes and redress historical injustices. However, research on equity in English language learning in the United States has primarily been conducted in American kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) settings, and when addressed in higher education, is usually related to institutional outcomes as a whole. This study considered equity related to the diversity of the needs and goals of adult English language learners. It sought to understand how English language teachers working in programs that serve students of various needs and goals define equity and how they implement equitable instruction. Participants were recruited from Washington State Community Colleges, specifically from programs which serve international and domestic/resident students, who may have very different needs and goals, in the same program. The study provides more insight into how instructors define equity and serve students of diverse needs and goals. The design was qualitative and interpretivist and employed semi-structured interviews and a focus group to collect data. Braun and Clarke’s (2022a) reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the results. Six main themes were developed through the data analysis. The study concluded that equitable instruction is made possible through the intentional efforts of instructors to facilitate access to content, learning, and cultural capital (theme 1), knowing students through centring the individual (theme 2), and prioritizing community and belonging (theme 3). The other themes highlight the factors that influence participant understanding of equity and their pursuit of providing equitable instruction. They are the instructor’s attitude of service (theme 4), the impact of political and institutional factors (theme 5), and equity as a work in progress (theme 6). These findings can help instructors develop equity-mindedness and better serve all students to realize their needs and goals.