Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

8-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Curriculum & Instruction

First Advisor

Pauli Badenhorst

Second Advisor

Laura Jewett

Third Advisor

Ana Carolina Diaz Beltran

Abstract

This Autoethnographic dissertation uses autohistoria-teoria to critically analyze my lived curriculum as a Mexican-born raised in the borderland of the Rio Grande Valley. This research aims to understand the influence of my linguistic experiences on my cultural identity and teaching praxis within the same context. Drawing from Anzaldua’s (1987) concept of Borderlands as a contextual lens and Raciolinguistics as a theoretical framework, I examine and reflect on key linguistic experiences that have perpetuated colonizing linguistic practices rather than fostered linguistic diversity. Additionally, Culturally Linguistic Sustaining Pedagogy serves as a framework to critically analyze my teaching praxis in relation to my cultural identity. A thematic analysis is used to code and interpret reflective journals and memories. This dissertation is significant because it offers insight into how lived experiences within physical and psychological borderlands, such as those in the Rio Grande Valley, can serve to separate and blend two cultures and languages. Moreover, it highlights the experiences of immigrant children navigating educational and social systems that often perpetuate a white monolingual standard of speaking and being. This study facilitates critical discussion around the hidden curriculum behind these systems, including family, academic, and institutional contexts and their lasting impact on students. By fostering educator awareness of the linguistic assets emergent bilingual children bring through their lived experiences, this work advocates for more affirming and asset-based approaches to teaching.

Comments

Copyright 2025 Iliana Cantu. All Rights Reserved.

https://proquest.com/docview/3246772750

Download

Share

COinS