Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Interdisciplinary Studies

First Advisor

Jennifer L. Richardson, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Charles Crawford, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Staci M. Perryman-Clark, Ph.D.

Fourth Advisor

Robert Randez, Ph.D.

Keywords

Autoethnographic poetry, black and latino identities, educational disparities, sociology of language, urban high school english instruction

Abstract

This interdisciplinary study integrates a macro‑sociological perspective on language bias with an examination of English language instructional policies and practices that shape the identities of Black and Latino former urban high school students. Its purpose is to apply a sociological framework capable of illuminating the intersections of language, race, and social justice. By bridging linguistic, sociological, and educational theories, the study seeks to explain why current approaches to language instruction remain ineffective for urban learners and may inadvertently harm minority cultural identities.

Persistent disparities in urban academic achievement often highlight race and ethnicity as explanatory factors without acknowledging how these categories function as mechanisms of restrictive exclusion in educational access. If educational outcomes continue to be disaggregated along racial and ethnic lines, structural racial barriers within schooling—and the broader society—will remain central contributors to inequitable experiences. This study therefore positions language as a critical element in the formation of educational social structures and considers how power dynamics shape English instruction for Black and Latino students in grades 9–12.

Grounded in Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist thought, and qualitative sociological methodologies, the study employs reflexive and participatory research practices. Participants engage in self-reflection, (auto)ethnographic poetry, and critical narrative interviews to analyze their own experiences with language and schooling. These methods provide a counter-narrative to the dominant myths that position Black and Latino urban learners as deficient, thereby challenging entrenched stereotypes within educational discourse.

By merging sociological theory with firsthand narrative accounts, this study aims to reveal how language operates as both a tool of instruction and a mechanism of social control. It highlights the structural and interpersonal forces that influence the English‑learning experiences of Black and Latino youth and interrogates how these forces shape identity formation in urban educational settings. Ultimately, the study strives to provide insight into how language bias is reproduced in schools, how students resist or navigate these constraints, and how more equitable and culturally sustaining pedagogies might be developed to support the linguistic and cultural identities of marginalized learners. Findings indicate that English instruction is shaped by sociological forces that reproduce negative perceptions of students' abilities, often tied to stereotypical views of the communities and cultures of urban Black and Brown learners. These patterns reveal an urgent need to confront how Black and Latino students are disproportionately funneled into under-resourced and socially devalued urban high schools, expected to conform to dominant cultural norms, and pressured to perform academically while navigating structural inequities that position them for failure.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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