Term
Spring 2026
Capstone
Dissertation
Degree Name
EdD
Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair
Trish Harvey
Abstract
O’Brien, K. (2026). Bilingual Achievement, Identity, and Aspiration: Multilingual High School Students’ Lived Experiences through the Bilingual Seal
In an educational landscape shaped by deficit-based perspectives on multilingual learners, asset-based policies such as the Minnesota Bilingual Seal offer an alternative approach for affirming students’ linguistic and cultural identities. This study examined this policy through the experiences of Latiné multilingual high school students. It amplified the voices of the students themselves through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, addressing a gap in multilingual learning and Bilingual Seal research, framed by the conceptual lens of critical consciousness and Latino Crit theory. The research questions are: How do multilingual high school students make meaning of the Bilingual Seal achievement in relation to their self-understanding as learners and their envisioned futures? The sub-questions explored how Latiné multilingual learners understood their experiences with the Bilingual Seal achievement in both Spanish Dual Language Immersion and monolingual English Language Development programs. They also examined how these students perceived their educational experiences in relation to their personal, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. The findings from the study illuminated that the Bilingual Seal served as a concrete validation of students’ bilingual identities and motivated future aspirations. While the Bilingual Seal enhanced confidence, the four components of relational teaching, belonging, cultural relevance, and academic rigor, along with support for language development, proved more transformative for bilingual identity development, supporting students’ transition from vulnerability to courage and purpose. Implications call on policymakers, school administrators, and teachers to implement Bilingual Seal programs and prioritize school cultures grounded in cultural relevance, relational teaching, academic rigor with language support, and genuine belonging. When schools interrogate policies and practices through critical consciousness, dismantle deficit-based systems, and construct asset-based cultures centered on these four elements, multilingual learners thrive as agents of change in their own educational journeys and communities.
Research Methodology
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Recommended Citation
O'Brien, Kristy, "Bilingual Achievement, Identity, and Aspiration: Multilingual High School Students’ Lived Experiences through the Bilingual Seal" (2026). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations. 4637.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/4637
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations