Term
Spring 2026
Capstone
Dissertation
Degree Name
EdD
Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair
Michelle Benegas
Abstract
Secondary dual language and immersion (DLI) teachers who teach content courses, such as social studies or science, balance two central responsibilities: meeting content-area standards and supporting students’ language development (Cammarata & Tedick, 2012). Managing these responsibilities presents challenges when preparing and using instructional materials in languages other than English (Moate, 2014; Morton, 2013; Skinnari, 2020; Sun, 2017). While existing research shows that DLI teachers expend enormous energy seeking and preparing instructional materials for their content-area classes (Mathieu, 2022), little is known about the factors that guide this work or how well existing materials meet teachers’ needs. This dissertation sought to understand: What factors do secondary dual language and immersion teachers consider when using their instructional materials in content-area courses? How well do currently available instructional materials meet the needs of dual language and immersion teachers? Using a sequential qualitative mixed-methods design (Riazdi & Candlin, 2014), data were collected through a survey of 26 DLI teachers in Minnesota and follow-up interviews with eight participants. The data were analyzed deductively using the Criteria for Language Immersion Curriculum (CLIC) conceptual framework (Larsen, in revision), followed by an inductive analysis examining how teachers make instructional materials accessible to students. Findings indicate that teachers prioritize linguistic accessibility in their interactions with instructional materials and report limited availability of content-area instructional materials that match their students’ language proficiency. Teachers also use instructional materials to promote critical thinking by taking on the perspectives of speakers of the partner language. Teachers highlight the near-impossibility of finding high-quality materials in the partner language on topics such as local history. As a result, teachers expend enormous energy translating, creating and adapting materials. Findings suggest a need to facilitate access to instructional materials suitable for DLI classrooms, including curating materials for language learners and creating high-quality supplementary materials to support content and language learning in DLI classrooms.
Research Methodology
Case Study, Interview, Survey (attitude scale, opinion, questionnaire)
Recommended Citation
Larsen, Curtis, "Secondary Dual Language and Immersion Content Teachers and Their Instructional Materials" (2026). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations. 4636.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/4636
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations