Many Faces, More Voices: Mastering a TESOL Degree

Institutions across the U.S. are striving to meet the diverse needs of students studying in TESOL Master's Programs. Mary Ellen Butler-Pascoe explores what they have to offer

A university ESL instructor, a fifth grade teacher in a sheltered social studies class, a Greek English teacher, an adult literacy teacher, a Peace Corps volunteer, an American EFL instructor hired to teach in Japan, a high school bilingual teacher-These are a few of the students found in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) master's programs across the United States as an increasing number of institutions strive to meet their diverse needs. This article examines the increase in the number of TESOL master's programs in the U.S. and the broad range of educational settings in which their graduates teach.

Background

Over the past decade, both domestic and international factors contributed to the growth in TESOL master's programs in U.S. colleges and universities. During that time, the number of English language learners in U.S. elementary and secondary schools grew significantly. By 1994, with their enrollments increasing at nearly 10% annually, 2,804,556 limited English proficient (LEP) students constituted over 7% of the total number of children in the nation's K-12 classrooms (Crawford, 1997). Growth of LEP students was especially evident in states with large immigrant populations such as California where between 1986 and 1996, the LEP student enrollment increased from 567,564 to 1,323,767 (California Department of Education, 1996).

With greater reliance on English in global markets and international communication, a growing number of foreign students pursued English language instruction in native-English speaking countries. From 1985 to 1995, the number of students in intensive English programs (IEPs) in the U.S. increased 82%, from 23,956 to 43,522 (Geddes and Genzel, 1996); the number of IEPs also grew significantly to accommodate this surge in enrollment (Davis, 1996).

The combined demands for qualified instructors for a larger number of college and university ESL programs and for K-12 teachers trained to teach second language learners resulted in a steady increase in TESOL master's programs. From 1989 to 1995, the number of TESOL master's programs in the U.S. increased nearly 30%. An even greater increase (39%) appeared in TESOL certificate programs, some of which offered degree-bearing courses that could be applied toward a master's degree (Kornblum and Gilligan, 1989; Kornblum and Garshick, 1992; Garshick, 1995).

TESOL Programs in U.S. Colleges and Universities
TESOL master's programs today are called upon to fulfill a multitude of expectations as they educate students with varying professional and academic goals and satisfy the needs of various types of TESOL environments.

TESOL programs have traditionally trained ESL teachers for various types of ESL and bilingual programs in the K-12 system. Classroom and pull-out ESL teachers develop expertise in various aspects of English language development to enable them to teach listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills at all proficiency levels.

Specialized

Some states with large non-native English speaking student populations also require specialized TESOL training for any teacher holding or seeking a position in linguistically diverse elementary and secondary classrooms. TESOL master's programs often offer courses that meet the state certification requirements for classroom teachers seeking to upgrade their credentials in order to teach in multilingual schools. The curriculum typically covers ESL and bilingual theory and methodology, sheltered instruction and academic development of second language learners in content-areas, and cross-cultural communication. State departments of education and school districts also expect universities to share the responsibility of promoting and teaching new technologies that benefit all students, including minority language learners. A recent study of the use of technology in TESOL master's programs in the U.S. found that over one-half infused technology into their curricula (Butler-Pascoe, 1995).

• College and University ESL Programs A master's degree in TESOL has traditionally been the requisite degree for college and university ESL teaching positions. Some higher education institutions offer tenure track positions for which a master's meets the degree requirement. In recent years, many veteran community college instructors not possessing a master's have been required by state law or the threat of job loss to obtain a master's. University instructors, in addition to possessing a thorough knowledge of theory and teaching strategies, require a clear command of English language structure and the metalanguage with which to grammar.
• Adult Education Programs Adult education and continuing education programs offering basic English, literacy, and US. citizenship courses give preference to instructors holding an master's degree. Teachers in these programs benefit from the specialized study and training TESOL master's programs offer in teaching reading skills and English survival skills to adult learners. TESOL graduates also obtain knowledge of the socio-cultural factors that are so often critical to the language acquisition of adults who have frequently been uprooted from their native country and family and must adjust to a new culture and language.
• English for Special Purposes Programs Other professions look to university TESOL master's programs to develop instructors for teaching English for special purposes (ESP) in specialized fields such as medicine, law, computer science, engineering, and business. Master's programs must provide their students with the expertise needed to teach a wide range of skills from basic English for those working at entry level jobs to accent reduction courses for professionals seeking to improve their oral communication skills. Additionally, ESP instructors need a familiarity with the content subject matter and the ability to collaborate with professors and other professionals in various disciplines.
• Teaching English as a Foreign Language Master's programs continue to fulfill their traditional role of providing teachers for positions overseas teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to college and university students, professional adults, and K-12 students. With the world-wide demand for English instruction, American students wishing to teach abroad and international students planning to teach English in their own countries seek out programs in Teaching English as a Foreign language (TEFL). These programs feature methodology courses that address frequent concerns of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers such as curriculum design for large class sizes, limited budget and materials, and resources for authentic language input and natural language acquisition.
• Teacher Training Programs In the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the call for trainers of ESL teachers both in the U.S and in other countries. State and district offices of education seek TESOL instructors holding M.A. degrees to teach in their in-service training programs. With many non-English speaking countries now requiring English as a foreign language not only in their high schools but also in elementary schools, the required number of English teachers in these countries has risen sharply. As a consequence, there is now a dramatic demand for TESOL instructors to train elementary EFL teachers in other countries.
• TESOL Doctoral Study TESOL master's programs are the training ground for prospective doctoral candidates who conduct research, design and implement university degree programs, and teach at the master's and doctoral levels in institutions of higher education. To prepare students for these academic roles, TESOL master's programs typically offer a combination of courses which cover the theory and practice of second language teaching, curriculum development, and the fundamentals of linguistics, second language acquisition, and research.

As TESOL assumed a higher profile as a field of study in the 80s and 90s, the TESOL master's programs in U.S. universities accepted the challenge to educate professionals for a multitude of educational settings. As the TESOL profession moves towards the next decade, dedication and resources will be needed to support these multifaceted programs.