Translating Opportunity Texas - Multilingual Learners of English Focus Group Findings - Cohort One Colleges

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

Translating Opportunity Texas presents focus group findings from Multilingual Learners of English (MLE) at four Texas community colleges in spring 2025. Insights capture how MLE students experience ESL/ESOL classes, transition toward credit-earning coursework, and navigate learning catalysts, enrollment decisions, classroom experiences, and challenges. With 37 student voices and selected edited quotes, the report highlights fluency and confidence, strategies for managing multiple priorities, and advice for new MLE students and colleges.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

The Focus Groups

Topic #1: Catalysts for Learning English at College

Topic #2: Enrollment Decisions

Topic #3: Classroom Experiences

Topic #4: Challenges and Improvements

Topic #5: Advice

Conclusion

CCCSE Resources

Appendix: Student Demographics

Translating Opportunity Texas Multilingual Learners of English Focus Group Findings Cohort One Colleges Table of Contents The Focus Groups 3 Topic \#1: Catalysts for Learning English at College4 Topic \#2: Enrollment Decisions 5 Getting Started / Selecting a Major / Registration / Financial Aid Topic \#3: Classroom Experiences7 Engaging Activities / Online Format / ESL Instructors Topic \#4: Challenges and Improvements 8 Fluency / Managing Multiple Priorities / Stopping Out / Confidence to Succeed Topic \#5: Advice10 Advice to new MLE students / Advice to colleges Conclusion12 CCCSE Resources Appendix: Student Demographics15 Acknowledgments Translating Opportunity Texas is a collaborative initiative between the Texas Success Center, Student Ready Strategies, WestEd, and the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) . CCCSE gratefully acknowledges the Texas Success Center as well as Ascendium Education Philanthropy, a division of Ascendium Education Group. We would also like to thank the four Texas community colleges that allowed us to conduct multiple focus groups with their Multilingual Learners of English (MLE) in February, March, and April 2025. Without these voices, we would not be able to demonstrate how MLE community college students in Texas are experiencing their English as a Second Language (ESL) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes and transitioning to credit courses. Finally, we thank the students who shared their stories of purpose and perseverance with us. This report is dedicated to them. CCCSE is a service and research initiative in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy in the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin. By delivering “aha” moments about the student experience based on insights that matter, CCCSE assists institutions and policymakers in using information to promote improvements in student learning, persistence, and attainment. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of CCCSE and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of Translating Opportunity Texas: A Strategy of Talent Strong Texas Pathways and its partnering organizations (Texas Success Center, WestEd, and Student-Ready Strategies) or Ascendium Education Group. Amarillo College Houston City College March 6, 2025 Brazosport College March 5–6, 2025 El Paso Community College February 4, 2025 April 12, 2025 The Focus Groups For over 20 years, the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) has delivered“aha” moments about the student experience and assisted institutions and policymakers in using information to promote improvements in student learning, persistence, and attainment. One of the ways CCCSE shares these aha moments is through the student voice as captured during focus group interviews. As an enhancement to Translating Opportunity Texas (funded by Ascendium Education Group), the Texas Success Center invited CCCSE to conduct focus groups with MLE students in spring 2025 at four Texas community colleges to explore the MLE student experience—in particular their pathway from ESL students to credit-earning students. Each of the four participating colleges received a report based upon the themes that emerged from the focus group conversations and a set of focus group video clips. Through the four focus group visits, CCCSE spoke with 37 MLE students. At times, the terms ESL and ESOL are used interchangeably with MLE to describe students. To feature the voices ofthe focus group participants and to showcase the breadth of the discussions, select quotes have been included in this report. Text in italics represents these quotes. Some of the quotes were edited for clarity and conciseness or to remove extraneous information that did not contribute to the meaning of what was said. TRANSLATING OPPORTUNITY TEXAS COHORT ONE COLLEGES 3 M LE EXPERIENCE THEMES There are many

FAQs

What is the purpose of Translating Opportunity Texas for MLE students?

It explores the pathway of Multilingual Learners of English from ESL students to credit-earning students through focus groups and collected insights.

Which topics are covered in the focus group findings?

The report covers catalysts for learning English, enrollment decisions, classroom experiences, challenges and improvements, and advice for new MLE students and colleges.

How were student voices used in the report?

Selected edited quotes from focus group participants are included to feature the breadth of discussions; italic text represents these quotes.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake