Disability is seldom researched as an influential individual difference in second language acquisition of school-aged children. This presentation draws upon a recent ethnographic study to document how the disabilities of English learners are linked to limited opportunities for second language learning in U.S. schools.
Although cognitive aptitude has been examined as an individual difference in second language acquisition (for overview, see Dörnyei & Ryan, 2015), there is a dearth of research on the influence of disability in second language (L2) learning for children. Thus, this study investigated how disabilities influenced the L2 learning opportunities of English learners (ELs), bi- and multilingual children who are acquiring English as an additional language, in U.S. middle schools.
The study utilized a multiple case study design (Stake, 2005) of two U.S. middle schools. The participating students were 11 ELs with learning disabilities. The ethnographic data included 86 classroom observation; 53 interviews with students and staff; and school records. Data were analyzed through hybrid inductive–deductive coding (Fereday & Muir-Cochane, 2006). For its theoretical underpinnings, the study utilized deficit thinking (Valencia, 1997) which argues the underperformance of children is attributed to their supposed innate deficiencies, instead of external factors within schools.
The analysis revealed the disabilities of ELs were linked to limited L2 learning opportunities.As a result of their disabilities, ELs were placed in classrooms where they were (a) isolated from their English-proficient peers, (b) restricted from collaborative language learning tasks, and (c) primarily exposed to behavior-management teacher discourse. Yet, ELs' disabilities-not the linguistically poor learning environments-were positioned by educators as the cause of ELs' plateauing English proficiency.
