Chasing The American Dream: Learning Factors and Practices of High School ESL Students in Language Acquisition

The study aimed to evaluate the learning factors and practices of High School ESL students in language acquisition in chasing their American Dream as the foundation for intervention program. The research focused on the extent of learning factors of High School ESL students in language acquisition for chasing their American Dream in terms of student motivation, cultural background, social interaction, and learning environment, and the level of learning practices of High School ESL students in language acquisition in terms of interactive communication, contextualized learning, multimodal learning, and scaffolded instruction. The researcher used the non-probability sampling utilizing the purposive sampling technique in determining the respondents of the study.  Moreover, the researcher utilized a researcher-made instrument. Then, the data gathered were calculated, analyzed, and interpreted using the appropriate statistical tools. The findings revealed that the student motivation, cultural background, social interaction, and learning environment are all important to high school ESL students pursuing their American dream. The high school ESL students demonstrate competency in language acquisition through interactive communication, contextualized learning, multimodal learning, and scaffolded instruction. Language development and the methods used by high school ESL students are closely related. As an outcome of the findings and the conclusions, the following recommendations were enumerated: Teachers may adapt teaching strategies to meet diverse ESL students' language proficiency levels, ensuring that each student can access learning activities effectively. Teachers may use real-world texts, multimedia, and culturally relevant resources to make language learning meaningful and contextually grounded. Teachers may create a classroom atmosphere that encourages risk-taking, values linguistic diversity, and provides positive reinforcement to boost students’ confidence. School Administrators may offer ongoing training on best practices for teaching ESL learners, including cultural competency, language development strategies, and differentiated instruction. School administrators cultivate an environment that celebrates diversity, promotes mutual respect, and recognizes the cultural backgrounds of ESL students as assets. Students may engage daily in speaking, reading, writing, and listening activities in English to build fluency and confidence essential for academic and social success.