Alicia HansonEDSC 591

Student Case Study

For this case study I interviewed and observed Jenny, one of my English

Learners, due to the fact that we differ linguistically, ethnically, and culturally. Beyond

that, she stood out to me because she’s a very diligent and hard working student. She

frequently asks questions and, despite her language barrier, she also usually completes

her work and follows instructions more completely than her native English speaking

peers. She presents a good example of the fact that a deficit in English proficiency does

not equate to a deficit in intelligence or ability. Jenny’s native and primary language is

Korean. She emigrated from South Korea to the United States 2 years ago, however she

had been taking English as a foreign language course for several years. Her given

Korean name is actually Hye-soo, but she picked Jenny as her English name to “fit in

better” in America. At home, she uses both Korean and English and she explained that

she sometimes blends the two together when she speaks and when she texts on her phone.

In the classroom she is rather shy, reserved, and soft-spoken. During whole class

discussions/questions she rarely participates, however in small groups she cooperates and

contributes well. She frequently asks me questions in a one-on-one setting. Her shyness

causes her to dislike asking questions of me in a whole class setting. She gets along well

with her classmates and usually appears cheerful. When having to read through the

textbook or questions on an assignment, Jenny usually has some comprehension

difficulties and frequently raises her hand to ask me to help clarify meanings for her. She

has difficulty understanding more abstract Social Science/Economic terms. Once I

explain things in a more easily understandable or relatable way, she is able to work out

the answers on her own. When it comes to writing, she also has trouble incorporating

more complex Economic vocabulary into her sentences. She usually has an electronic

translator/dictionary on her desk to use during lessons and assignments for additional

language support.

In comparing my observations with the readings, I believe the learning

environment is decently supportive for Jenny. One of the main themes Eccles kept

returning to was the lack of student autonomy and opportunities to participate in junior

high and high school environments, which leads to a decline in student motivation at

these ages (Eccles, J., 1996). The learning environment in my class for Jenny and the rest

of the students is supportive because it is the antithesis of that. Whole class discussions

and small group discussions are frequently used in my class, and this allows ample

participation opportunities for Jenny. From my observations, I noticed that Jenny does

much better in small group discussion settings due to her general shyness and lack of

confidence in speaking English. I made adaptations to include more intimate

participation opportunities in my lessons to better support students like Jenny in my

classes.

In drawing comparisons between Jenny and Moises from the short film

Immersion, the most notable is the language barrier in the classroom. Much like Moises,

Jenny also has to rely a lot on a Korean-English dictionary to help her communicate in

writing and reading comprehension. Jenny also struggles sometimes with my

explanations during lessons and needs further clarification. However, that’s about where

the similarities end. Jenny isn’t alienated by her peers in class like Moises usually was,

and I frequently use classwork time to assist Jenny one-on-one when she needs additional

support.

In the end, my ideas about equity and fairness in meeting students’ diverse needs

are still the same after completing this case study and the readings. I’ve always believed

that a teacher mustn’t only focus on a student’s academic abilities when planning

instruction, but that several other factors can play a big role in whether a student is

achieving access to and comprehension of the content being taught. This is very central to

my planning process because I have to make a well-rounded examination of my

students--taking into account their cultural backgrounds, interests, goals, physical,

mental, and emotional health, etc. so that I can begin to plan instruction that addresses all

of these areas. Knowing all of this information makes me very cognizant of tweaking my

instructional strategies so they can cater to a variety of learning styles instead of

designing a “one size fits all” style of lesson. In order to make content meaningful and

achieve effective comprehension, a teacher must constantly change up their strategies,

adaptations, resources, and materials to best suit all aspects of students’ needs.