ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5054-3283

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Education (Ph.D)

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

Aliya Holmes

Second Advisor

vonne Pratt-Johnson

Third Advisor

Alina Camacho-Gingerich

Abstract

Research shows that teaching Spanish language and culture often reinforces biases, stereotypes, and suffers from limited economic and institutional support (Avendaño, 1979; Carter, 2014; Heredia & Altarriba, 2001; Potowski, 2002; Quan, 2021; Randolph Jr., 2017). These challenges restrict the social and academic mobility of Spanish-speaking students, especially in urban areas like New York City. This qualitative narrative inquiry addresses two questions: how do early-career high school World Language educators decolonize the AP Spanish Language and Culture curriculum, and how does engagement in Sealy-Ruiz’s Archeology of Self framework influence their teaching? The study examines the intersections of personal identity, professional growth, and curriculum practice, exploring how educators both challenge and sometimes reproduce colonial structures in bilingual education. Using testimonio and in vivo coding as methodological approaches, the experiences of four early-career high school World Language educators were analyzed. Findings show participants adapted AP materials to center students’ linguistic and cultural identities, reflected critically on their own biases, and created classroom spaces validating diverse ways of knowing. While these practices demonstrate the potential of the Archeology of Self to support transformative pedagogy, structural constraints such as standardized curriculum and testing limited broader systemic change. This study contributes to scholarship on culturally responsive pedagogy, decolonizing curriculum, and equity-centered language education. It provides insights for educators seeking to align reflection, identity, and instructional practice to promote social justice and inclusive learning environments.

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