Graduation Year
2026
Date of Defense
3-30-2026
Degree Name
Doctorate in Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership
Department
School of Education and Human Development
Document Type
Dissertation
First Advisor
George Peffer
Abstract
Planning Spanish language instruction in the United States has become increasingly complex due to the growing linguistic diversity of students, particularly the rising number of heritage Spanish learners. Leeman (2020) describes heritage Spanish learners as a heterogeneous group with diverse linguistic experiences and abilities, ranging from Spanish-dominant firstgeneration immigrants who arrived in the U.S. at an early age to third-generation immigrants with limited Spanish speaking abilities who grew up speaking or hearing Spanish at home or in their communities. The core issues are that Spanish language instruction in the United States has not adapted to the increasing presence of heritage Spanish learners, resulting in curricula that often exclude their linguistic realities and cultural identities, thereby undermining both their cultural understanding and the broader diversity of the Spanish-speaking world.
This study investigates how resource disparities, language standardization, and classroom power dynamics shape heritage Spanish learners’ sense of belonging and linguistic confidence. Drawing on Critical Language Awareness (CLA) as an interpretive framework, it analyzes how language functions as a social practice through which power, ideology, and identity are constructed and negotiated within the Spanish Language classroom (Beaudrie et al., 2020). Additionally, CLA emphasizes that language learning is not neutral but is deeply embedded in social, political, and cultural context for Spanish language learners, especially those from marginalized or bilingual communities. By recognizing the linguistic and cultural diversity of heritage Spanish speakers through a CLA lens, instructors can create a curriculum that recognizes the linguistic and cultural diversity of Spanish speakers in the United States.