Abstract
Among our diverse student groups enrolled in U.S. community colleges, one highly fluid group, which includes many different subgroups, is referred to as Generation 1.5. Unfortunately, many Generation 1.5 students arrive to community college with a certain level of proficiency in spoken English (although quite often with fossilized errors), but require a great deal of remediation in the areas of reading and/or writing. Very little research though has been published on the professors who work with Generation 1.5 students upon their entry into community college. This transcendental phenomenological study examines the pedagogical preparation, and cultural and linguistic understanding of ESL, Reading, and English community college professors who often work with Generation 1.5 students when the latter first enroll in the two-year institutions. It also provides an understanding of community college professors’ professional development needs to serve Generation 1.5 students. The researcher utilized a social cognitive framework as the basis for the research project. In addition, he made use of Gay’s (2000) theory of culturally responsive teaching, Marsick and Watkins’ (1999) model on developing a learning organization, and Meyer and Jepperson’s (2000) four loads for acquiring language to make sense of the community college professors’ pedagogical practices, professional development needs, and understanding of language acquisition in relation to their teaching practices. The researcher found that while the ESL professors had a better understanding of pedagogical practices and Generation 1.5 students’ learning needs, they viewed the latter culturally from a deficit model framework. On the other hand, while the English professors lacked the pedagogical sophistication and linguistic understanding of ESL professors, they had a greater appreciation of Generation 1.5 students’ cultures. Finally, reading professors lacked the understanding of who are Generation 1.5 students as well as a pedagogical sophistication, language acquisition understanding, and strong comprehension of the link between culture and classroom instruction. This study concludes with recommendations for future research, and suggestions for improving professional development and services for professors who teach Generation 1.5 students.