Levinas, Leviticus, & Language: A Case Study Exploring ACSI Maritime Teacher Challenges of Practice Due to Increasing ESL Enrollment

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to explain the perceived challenges of practice due to increasing enrollment of English Language Learners (ELLs) for ACSI teachers in the Canadian Maritimes. The theory guiding this study was ethics as first philosophy by Levinas (1981). Levinas’ theory aided in examining the ethical, relational, and linguistic challenges teachers experienced teaching ELLs. The central research question guiding this study was: what are the perceived challenges of practice K-12 ACSI Maritime school teachers face due to increasing ELL enrollment? Data was collected through pre-interview journals, semi-structured face-to-face interviews, and observations. Data analysis included transcriptions, documents, and field notes. Member checks were employed (Creswell, 2013), as was coding, which was analyzed using ATLAS.ti. Themes and outliers emerged and were examined (Yin, 2009). The research had implications for ACSI administrators and teachers who are challenged by increasing ELL enrollment.