This ethnographic study examines the Lipan Apache ("Ndé") Tribe of Texas powwow as a curriculum of culture(s) and a pedagogy of place through which culture is preserved, performed, transmitted, and transformed. Integrating both emic (insider) and etic (outsider) perspectives, I combine personal experiences as a Lipan Apache tribal member…

This dissertation study explores a young Japanese heritage language speaker's learning process of formal writing in Japanese. With a rapid increase in immigrants into the U.S. and growing importance of diversity, many researchers have shown interest in immigrant children, i.e., heritage speakers, from educational and research perspectives and have…

This dissertation focuses on the racialization of graduate international Black African collegians (IBAC) and the effects it has on their racial identity development. The intercentricity of race maintains that race is a defining factor for how one is situated in US society. However, many international students do not come from communities…

Indigenous people of the world fight to maintain our lifeways, culture, and more specifically our languages. Speakers have endured waves of violence and persecution and in the face of that still fought to preserve and bring back languages. Language loss has been observed by communities and linguists and each figures out ways to document and…

Public participation in a range of efforts which have community impact has been used successfully and has been extensively investigated. This study sought to use the case of the heritage conservation of the State Theater in North Point, Hong Kong, a building of cultural interest and architectural merit, employing the Theory of Communicative…

This qualitative case study focuses on the pivotal role of an urban elementary school leadership team with a newcomer program. It aims to uncover how school leadership decisions, practices, and policies address the diverse needs of newcomer students. Challenges faced by newcomers, including economic and social needs, cultural adjustments, and…

In the United States, elementary social studies instruction has significantly declined in recent decades, yet it holds valuable potential in allowing for spaces where the cultures and identities of our students can be centered and celebrated. Our educational systems are too often grounded in hegemonic ways of doing that are based around a dominant…

In the face of shifting student demographics and persistent disparities in educational outcomes, school leaders are tasked with meeting the diverse needs of their student populations. Recent emphasis on equity initiatives has redefined the role of school leaders, necessitating a deeper understanding of culturally and linguistically sustaining…

Despite existing literature documenting patriotism and nationalism in education and children's knowledge of patriotic and national songs, the impact of patriotism and nationalism in American elementary music education through patriotic and national songs has not been examined in the context of current national standards. This examination is…

The creation of "universidades interculturales" (intercultural universities, UIs) in Mexico at the start of the 21st century was not only a policy response to the need for more accessible higher education for historically underrepresented students, but also to the call for more culturally and linguistically relevant education and…

While considering Makoni and Pennycook's (2006) critique of the colonial nature of the notion of singular languages in this dissertation, a documentation and investigation of English and Spanish use on billboards in Carolina, Guaynabo, and San Juan, three cities in Puerto Rico, is presented. The billboards in these towns make use of Spanish, the…

"How do you feel when you speak Zapotec?" According to some children who are learning Zapotec, an Indigenous language spoken in Teotitlan del Valle, Mexico, speaking Zapotec invokes feelings of pride. But not all learners feel this way, and children's feelings often vary depending on the specifics of a particular interaction. In this…

This research explored the struggle and resiliency of a Mexican American community in Central Texas as they attempted to maintain, teach, and celebrate their Mexican American roots, customs, knowledge, and celebrations through community education. The research employed critical ethnography to explore history and its impact on self, organization,…

This study provides insight on heritage language to Greek Americans. At an important juncture of acculturation in the United States, Greek Americans risk losing their rich cultural ancestry and language to assimilate fully as Americans. A survey at a national scale was conducted with adult Greek Americans (n=1652) from all 50 states. It was…

Recent studies have projected that by the end of this century between half and up to 95% of the linguistic diversity in the world will disappear or become severely endangered. In the last four decades, the Latin American region, home to more than 500 Indigenous languages, has introduced intercultural bilingual education policies aimed at…