English learners in Virginia's secondary art classrooms

The purpose of this study is to examine effective strategies for accommodating and differentiating secondary art education curricula for English learners. This thesis documents the gap in research on adolescent English learner (EL) students in secondary art classrooms, and investigates classroom strategies implemented by secondary art educators. The literature review analyzed a historical perspective on English learners in the United States, as well as state standards. Triangulation of the literature review, online survey, and follow-up interviews were utilized in this research. The survey was disseminated to 338 secondary members of the Virginia Art Education Association to examine state, school, and art classroom EL demographics. Additionally, the survey collected reflections from teacher participants on effective strategies used to accommodate English learners in secondary art classrooms. Follow-up interviews were conducted based on interest provided from participants. Resources from the research findings include recommendations for educators interested in implementing research-based effective strategies for ELs in their art classrooms.