Performing Anti-Oppressive Education in a Private Dual-Language Immersion Elementary School

Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Educational and Psychological Studies

Major Professor

Vonzell Agosto, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jennifer Wolgemuth, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Deirdre Cobb-Roberts, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Lauren Braunstein, Ph.D.

Keywords

arts-based research, bilingual education, curriculum, educators, performance-based focus group, Social justice

Abstract

In the U.S., dual-language immersion programs have played a fundamental role in reducing the opportunity (and achievement) gap for Latinx Spanish-speaker students by centering their cultural backgrounds, knowledge, and overall well-being. Nonetheless, scholars have expressed concern that dual language programs teaching in Spanish and English may reproduce unbalanced power relations between historically minoritized and privileged groups. Research in bilingual education has shown that curriculum and instruction in dual-language immersion programs often benefit English-dominant students and risk contributing to reproducing social inequities. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the role of curriculum in addressing or reproducing social inequities in dual-language immersion programs. The overarching research question was: how does a private two-way (dual language) immersion school with a social justice mission perform anti-oppressive education ? I used a performance-based approach to research to address the research question. Participants in this study were three educators that worked in a private elementary dual-language school in Florida. Data generation included two open-ended interviews, one performance-based focus groups, and school handbook, newsletters, and website. Findings highlight how the school participated in complex contradictions performing both anti-oppressive education and the recreation of Otherness through neoliberal practices. This research contributes to current conversations about curriculum, language-minoritized students, and language education. Implications and recommendations for further research are discussed.

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