Principals’ Evaluation of Growth in Sociocultural Competence within Their Dual Language Bilingual Education Programs

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Date of Award

1-10-2024

Abstract

This qualitative study explored principals’ perceptions of the sociocultural competence pillar of the dual language bilingual education (DLBE) program. Two dual language principals were recruited to participate in this study in North Texas in an effort to understand how they defined and evaluated growth of sociocultural competence on their dual language elementary campuses among their teachers and students and within themselves. Sociocultural competence is the third pillar of the DLBE program, yet there is little empirical research on this critical goal of dual language education (Block, 2011; Brisk, 2006; Feinauer & Howard, 2014; J. A. Freire, 2020; Parkes et al., 2009). With research emphasizing the cruciality of the principal to the overall success of DLBE programs (Menken & Solorza, 2015), it was abundantly clear that administrators’ voices needed to be amplified to better understand their interpretation of this elusive goal. The two overarching research questions that guided this study utilized the following theoretical frameworks: Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory, critical consciousness (P. Freire, 1970), and social justice leadership framework (DeMatthews et al., 2019). The first research question that focused on defining sociocultural competence found the following common themes: cultural awareness, cross-cultural competence, openness, acceptance, empathy, and connection. As principals had limited experiences and training with sociocultural competence, the second research question on evaluating this third pillar included ideas on how to evaluate sociocultural competence at school with teachers and students. With critical consciousness as the driving force behind sociocultural competence, this study illuminated the need for principals to participate in critical reflection to analyze systems of oppression and inequities and take action against them. Since principals work to either uphold equity and social justice or reinforce neoliberalism ideals (Bernstein et al., 2020), it was important to address how DLBE principals negotiate their understanding of how to evaluate the progress they make in this key DLBE pillar.

Advisor

Josh Thompson

Subject Categories

Education

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