English as a Second Language Teachers’ Perspectives on Interprofessional Collaboration with School Counselors: Supporting Emergent Bilingual Students

Abstract

Understanding emergent bilingual (EB) students’ needs is important for school-based professionals supporting students’ academic and social-emotional development. English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers often have the most contact with EB students; however, research on interprofessional collaboration between school counselors (SCs) and ESL teachers is limited. The aim of this study was to increase the knowledge about how collaboration between SCs and ESL teachers can be understood and further developed based on the perspectives of ESL teachers. In total, twenty-eight ESL teachers participated in one of four focus groups sharing their perspectives on EB students’ challenges and strengths and their experiences collaborating with SCs. Through qualitative content analysis, three themes: ecological challenges, ecological supports, and interprofessional collaboration emerged across 12 categories. Examples of interprofessional collaboration with SCs such as designing curriculum lessons to support academic and social-emotional needs were shared. Implications and training recommendations for interprofessional collaboration are discussed.