Ultimately, Get Ready! ensures that multilingual learners—regardless of their backgrounds—receive the robust, research-based support they need to thrive academically and develop into confident, literate individuals capable of navigating complex texts across disciplines. Research Background Importance of Motivation and Engagement In a classroom setting, complex emotional and motivational factors come into play as students strive to develop language. Krashen (1982) referred to this as the "affective filter." When the affective filter is high, students may experience anxiety, self-consciousness, boredom, annoyance, or even alienation. When the affective filter is low, students experience less anxiety and are actively engaged. Current research continues to support motivation and engagement as key to literacy development for adolescents (Wilkinson et al., 2020). For multilingual learners in secondary settings, engagement is especially critical as they navigate complex language and literacy demands while adjusting to new cultural and academic environments. Literacy is not just about reading and writing but includes oral language, digital literacies, and discipline-specific literacies that are vital for academic success. A strong instructional framework must create environmental and pedagogical supports that promote engagement and motivation. Instruction must include meaningful, cognitively challenging tasks that are designed to engage multilingual learners with varying needs, including students with disabilities and neurodiverse learners, as well as provide amplifications for students who would benefit from additional challenges. Recognizing the funds of knowledge that students bring from their homes and communities (González, Moll, & Amanti, 2005; Moll, 2019) is essential to designing motivating and responsive literacy instruction. Language and Literacy Interaction in the Classroom The work of Vygotsky (1978) has long served as a foundation for much of the research and theory on cognitive and linguistic development. He emphasized the role of social interaction in the development of cognition and language, which is critical for literacy learning. Language and literacy development must be an interactive, social process rather than a rote, individual one. Bruner’s (1977) concept of spiral curriculum further emphasized the importance of revisiting concepts and ideas, deepening understanding in progressively more complex ways. For secondary multilingual learners, repeated interaction in pairs, small groups, and whole-class discussions is key to developing oral language, vocabulary, academic concepts, and literacy skills. Vocabulary, concepts, and literacy practices must be revisited and expanded throughout the curriculum, providing opportunities for meaningful application and practice. This socially mediated learning environment supports multilingual learners by enhancing their ability to negotiate meaning and develop academic language. Scaffolded Instruction Systemic supports are necessary to support the complex, nonlinear process of literacy development. With scaffolded instruction, educators provide strategic support at a level just beyond what students can achieve independently—the “zone of proximal development” (ZPD) described by Vygotsky (1978). Recent research continues to validate the importance of scaffolds across all language domains. 27
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