Despite the ideological controversies and political backlash that surround the field of bilingual education in the United States, current research indicates a growing interest in dual language (DL) programs—an additive bilingual education model. However, this growing interest has been accompanied by inequities in the implementation of DL programs that negatively affect minoritized students. One recommendation is for DL programs to center equity through sociocultural competence—the third goal of DL education (Howard et al., 2018). Through an analysis of administrator and teacher interviews, school documents, and field observations, this single case study examines educators’ ideologies and practices in regards to sociocultural competence at a high-performing Spanish-English DL school—Escuelita Montes de Oca (MdO). Findings suggest that sociocultural competence is conceptualized to include identity development, diversity awareness, justice, and action. Additionally, “gaps in knowledge,” which work to uphold the status quo, emerged as a challenge to the implementation of sociocultural competence. Through a critically conscious and culturally sustaining lens, this study provides evidence that fostering sociocultural competence is imperative for the creation of DL programs that honor minoritized students’ right to an equity-centered bilingual education.
","abstract_html":"<p>Despite the ideological controversies and political backlash that surround the field of bilingual education in the United States, current research indicates a growing interest in dual language (DL) programs—an additive bilingual education model. However, this growing interest has been accompanied by inequities in the implementation of DL programs that negatively affect minoritized students. One recommendation is for DL programs to center equity through sociocultural competence—the third goal of DL education (Howard et al., 2018). Through an analysis of administrator and teacher interviews, school documents, and field observations, this single case study examines educators’ ideologies and practices in regards to sociocultural competence at a high-performing Spanish-English DL school—Escuelita Montes de Oca (MdO). Findings suggest that sociocultural competence is conceptualized to include identity development, diversity awareness, justice, and action. Additionally, “gaps in knowledge,” which work to uphold the status quo, emerged as a challenge to the implementation of sociocultural competence. Through a critically conscious and culturally sustaining lens, this study provides evidence that fostering sociocultural competence is imperative for the creation of DL programs that honor minoritized students’ right to an equity-centered bilingual education.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["González, Verónica"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Education PhD, Joint with San Diego State University","degree_level":"Open Access Dissertation","degree_discipline":"School of Educational Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Lucrecia Santibañez","Sera Hernandez","Gilda Ochoa"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:40:28Z","subjects":["dual language","equity","social justice","sociocultural competence","Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education","Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/678","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Lucrecia Santibañez","Sera Hernandez","Gilda Ochoa"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["González, Verónica"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-12-18T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Educational Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Education PhD, Joint with San Diego State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["dual language","equity","social justice","sociocultural competence","Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education","Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/678"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Despite the ideological controversies and political backlash that surround the field of bilingual education in the United States, current research indicates a growing interest in dual language (DL) programs—an additive bilingual education model. However, this growing interest has been accompanied by inequities in the implementation of DL programs that negatively affect minoritized students. One recommendation is for DL programs to center equity through sociocultural competence—the third goal of DL education (Howard et al., 2018). Through an analysis of administrator and teacher interviews, school documents, and field observations, this single case study examines educators’ ideologies and practices in regards to sociocultural competence at a high-performing Spanish-English DL school—Escuelita Montes de Oca (MdO). Findings suggest that sociocultural competence is conceptualized to include identity development, diversity awareness, justice, and action. Additionally, “gaps in knowledge,” which work to uphold the status quo, emerged as a challenge to the implementation of sociocultural competence. Through a critically conscious and culturally sustaining lens, this study provides evidence that fostering sociocultural competence is imperative for the creation of DL programs that honor minoritized students’ right to an equity-centered bilingual education.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Beyond Language: Critical and Sustainable Sociocultural Competence in a Dual Language Program"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Lucrecia Santibañez","Sera Hernandez","Gilda Ochoa"],"dc:creator":["González, Verónica"],"dc:date.available":["2023-12-18T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Despite the ideological controversies and political backlash that surround the field of bilingual education in the United States, current research indicates a growing interest in dual language (DL) programs—an additive bilingual education model. However, this growing interest has been accompanied by inequities in the implementation of DL programs that negatively affect minoritized students. One recommendation is for DL programs to center equity through sociocultural competence—the third goal of DL education (Howard et al., 2018). Through an analysis of administrator and teacher interviews, school documents, and field observations, this single case study examines educators’ ideologies and practices in regards to sociocultural competence at a high-performing Spanish-English DL school—Escuelita Montes de Oca (MdO). Findings suggest that sociocultural competence is conceptualized to include identity development, diversity awareness, justice, and action. Additionally, “gaps in knowledge,” which work to uphold the status quo, emerged as a challenge to the implementation of sociocultural competence. Through a critically conscious and culturally sustaining lens, this study provides evidence that fostering sociocultural competence is imperative for the creation of DL programs that honor minoritized students’ right to an equity-centered bilingual education.
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