Preparing linguistically responsive teachers through experiential foreign language tasks: A phenomenological study

Importance of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching escalates as globalization and immigration increase the student diversity in classrooms. Although culturally responsive teaching has been studied in detail, the literature on linguistically responsive teaching is largely theoretical, with limited research-based practices. This article reports a phenomenological study of four prospective teachers’ experiences with four foreign language tasks. The purpose of the study was to propose and examine a research-based practice to raise awareness about preparing linguistically responsive teachers in teacher education programs. Data were collected through written participant reflections and analyzed using phenomenological analysis. Findings reveal that the tasks assisted participants to become aware of the linguistic, cognitive, and emotional hard work encountered while learning a new language. Participants also reported being empathetic toward English language learners. Implications for teacher education programs and teacher educators are presented.