Does ESL help?

        English as a Second Language (ESL) programs have been introduced for a long history to immigrants who do not speak English as the native language. ESL programs widely spread in schools, educational institutions and even churches in U.S. Language is a huge barrier for non-English speakers to be able to survive in a foreign country with different culture and rules of behavior. But also mastering English could be a great benefit for an individual’s career and life development. ESL classes probably would be the best places for these demands of desiring to master this specific language. How does the ESL programs work during the decade years? Is it helpful enough for the immigrants to face the language challenge during their studies and work time? While many believe that ESL programs can fully fulfill the increasing demands of English learning for foreign speakers, the effects of teaching-learning process varies due to many unpredictable factors. Merely enrolling and attending in the ESL program do not guarantee the fully mastering of English skills in a given period of time, and do not always be the prime factor in the process of learning a second language.

        People who insist that attending ESL can help immigrant children seamlessly overcome all the language obstacles overlooked disparity of language learners as the subjects. Due to the principle of human language learning principle, many factors contribute to second language learning such personal motivations, social ability, and extent of attachment with parents and first language skills with regard to individual disparity. Firstly, self-motivation is and has been a great impact on second language learning process, and it is the first drive to all the learning process. According to Zoltán Dörnyei “Motivation in second and foreign language learning”, he interpreted motivation leading to second language learning into a psychological terminology: paragram seeking. “A significant proportion of the published works are characterised by some sort of 'paradigm seeking', that is, making attempts to extend the scope of existing motivational constructs by either setting up or importing new paradigms in the hope of better explaining the particular contexts analysed.” (121-122) In Dörnyei’s statement above, he highlighted the “motivational constructs” as a way of better understanding the given context via attempt of seeking “new paradigms”, in where the new concepts of the certain second language generates and being proceeded.  

        Besides motivations, other individual varieties such as social skills and attachment with parents and even one’s first language proficiency can also make an impact on second language learning process. Adam Winsler et al have investigated a number of Hispanic English learners in preschools on how do the social skill affects the acquisition of English. In their paper “Socio-Emotional Skills, Behavior Problems, And Spanish Competence Predict The Acquisition Of English Among English Language Learners In Poverty”, they argued that “Multivariate analyses demonstrated that Spanish-speaking preschoolers with greater initiative, self-control, and attachment and fewer behavior problems at age 4 were more successful in obtaining English proficiency by the end of kindergarten compared to those initially weaker in these skills, even after controlling for cognitive/language skills and demographic variables.”(Winsler et al 2242). They also emphasize the importance of first language proficiency, Spanish to be specifically in this paper, during the second language learning process as well as their transition to the new school (Winsler et al 2250). The research of Adam Winsler et al also indicates that ESL programs do not guarantee the students can be seamlessly involved with school activities that are designed for majority of native English speakers merely by the their teaching content.
          Face-to-face classroom setting does engraves new language into learners’ mind more than media-based language learning, yet the reality are not as good as people expected.  Although ESL services are federally mandated, their quality and quantity vary at the school and district level. One of my friends said when she attending ESL classes in high school, the teacher of the class seldom lectures, and lack of interaction with students. How does ESL class different from other ways of English learning if spending class time on just writing paper works? This is not the extreme case existed. Rebecca Callahan et al have investigated some facts about the classroom settings relating to second language outcomes. In their publication “ESL Placement and Schools: Effects on Immigrant Achievement”, the research concludes that “In schools with more immigrant students, the authors find that ESL placement results in higher levels of academic performance; in schools with few immigrant students, the effect reverses”(335), which means only in where immigrant students are not the minority in school and occupies extensive population, the ESL classroom setting can satisfy its full purpose.

        As for adult learners, the impact of learning through ESL classroom is even less in terms of improving English skills. However, for exchange scholars and immigrant housewives, they are not expecting a dramatic advance via lecturing and class discussion, but treating this classroom setting as a social event and network building. From some churches’ perspective, providing ESL program for non-English speakers is a good way to outreach to these people and preach Good News to them. For example, the American-Chinese Fellowship in Houston had cooperated with West University for the ESL program, connecting and outreaching these international scholars and students with English teaching as well as Bible study.

        Although I still concede that the ESL programs provide the good place to get social connection with the mainstream school and to get familiar with his/her surroundings for the newly arrivers, yet there are other places that can also fulfill such functions. Immigrant children and second language learners can make English-speaking friends through ministries of church. Or some of them can join the community club around the neighborhood to gain social supports and encouragements.

        In summary, the ESL program provided by various institutions does help improving English proficiency for second language learners in some ways, especially for immigrants, preschool and school aged children to keep up with peers, but due to differences existing in individuals that affect acquisition of second language learning, and the varieties of quality and quantity of classroom setting, the outcome cannot always keep optimistic for whom expect harvesting another language skills through ESL programs.

Work Cited

Callahan, Rebecca, Lindsey Wilkinson, and Chandra Muller. “ESL Placement and Schools: Effects on Immigrant Achievement.” Educ Policy (Los Altos Calif). 2009 May 1; 23(2): 355–384. NIH Public Access. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

Dörnyei, Zoltán. "Motivation in second and foreign language learning." Language teaching 31.03 (1998): 117-135. Google Scholar. Web. 19 Apr. 2016

Winsler, Adam, Kim Yoon Kyong, and Erin R. Richard. "Socio-Emotional Skills, Behavior Problems, And Spanish Competence Predict The Acquisition Of English Among English Language Learners In Poverty." Developmental Psychology 18.5 (2014): 2242-2254. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.