Date of Award
12-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Teaching and Learning
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Brooke A. Whitworth
Committee Member
Dr. Julianne A. Wenner
Committee Member
Dr. Alex E. Chisholm
Committee Member
Dr. David S. Fleming
Abstract
This dissertation explores how rural science teachers perceive and implement translanguaging strategies, with a particular focus on African American Language (AAL) as a tool for culturally responsive teaching. Grounded in Black Critical Theory, raciolinguistics perspectives, and translanguaging theory, the study examines how teachers’ beliefs about language intersect with their instructional practices in K–8 science classrooms across a rural southeastern state. Translanguaging theory provides the lens to examine how students use their full linguistic repertoire, particularly AAL, to make meaning in science and how teachers either support or restrict these practices through
discourse and planning. The study uses sequential explanatory mixed methods design where the quantitative data were gathered using the Dispositions for Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Scale (DCRPS), completed by 28 Master Teaching Fellows in the Noyce Track 3 program. Based on survey variation, eight teachers were purposefully selected for in-depth qualitative analysis. These teachers participated in semi-structured interviews and submitted science lesson plans for document analysis.
The qualitative phase investigates the alignment between teachers stated beliefs and their instructional practices. A document analysis rubric was developed to examine how lesson plans reflect culturally responsive discourse and support for translanguaging, including the integration of AAL. Findings suggest that while many teachers express strong commitments to equity and inclusion, their lesson planning and classroom discourse often reveal tensions between standard language ideologies and efforts to affirm students’ cultural identities. This study contributes to research on culturally responsive teaching by centering language as a key dimension of equity in science education. It offers insights into how teacher language ideologies can shape access to meaningful science learning, particularly in under-resourced rural contexts. The dissertation concludes with recommendations for teacher education, professional development, and policy aimed at promoting linguistic justice in science classrooms.
Recommended Citation
Tracey, Stephanie, "African American Language Ain’t No Barrier: Teacher Perceptions, Power, and Possibility in Rural Science Classrooms" (2025). All Dissertations. 4128.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4128
Author ORCID Identifier
0009-0009-9458-1136
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons