Navigating Linguistic Diversity: Secondary Teachers’ Instructional Adaptations in Multilingual Classrooms

Drawing on data from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey, this study investigates how U.S. secondary teachers report adapting their instructional practices in linguistically diverse classrooms. We examined reported adaptations across three instructional dimensions: classroom management, instructional clarity, and cognitive activation. We further explored how professional training in multicultural and multilingual education is associated with these practices. Results show that teachers in both moderately and highly diverse classrooms reported greater use of clarity-enhancing practices, while those in moderately diverse settings reported more frequent use of cognitively activating strategies. Notably, the two dimensions responded differently to professional preparation. Clarity adaptations emerged naturally, regardless of training, whereas cognitive activation was significantly associated with multicultural and multilingual preparation. These findings challenge deficit-based views of linguistic diversity as a barrier to learning, suggesting instead that diversity can enrich instruction by promoting clarity and cognitive rigor for all students.