Date of Award

6-26-2026

Date Published

July 2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Executive Education Program

Advisor(s)

George Theoharis

Second Advisor

Courtney Mauldin-Jones

Subject Categories

Education | Educational Leadership

Abstract

This qualitative case study examines how arts-based curriculum supports heritage language learning among elementary-aged multilingual students in a community language program. Drawing on Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Transformative Multiliteracies, and Community Cultural Wealth, this study analyzes observations, student artifacts, and interviews across Arabic and Karen heritage language classrooms using an arts-based curriculum. Findings demonstrate that arts-based practices foster four key outcomes: identity exploration, the development of agency and critical authenticity, relational language sustainability through family engagement, and heightened motivation grounded in creativity and cultural relevance. Students’ multimodal identity texts, such as drawings, ceramics, and jewelry, served as transformative sites where linguistic repertoires, cultural knowledge, and personal histories converged. This study shows that arts-based spaces redistribute classroom authority, validate family expertise, and create counter-spaces that challenge monolingual norms. Overall, the research highlights arts-based pedagogy as an equity-driven approach that strengthens heritage language sustainability and supports multilingual students’ identity development. Keywords: heritage language learning; Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy; arts-based curriculum; multimodal composing; identity texts; Community Cultural Wealth; translanguaging; multilingual learners; family engagement; qualitative case study

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Open Access

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