Date of Award

2026

Degree Type

Restricted to Claremont Colleges Dissertation

Degree Name

Education, PhD

Program

School of Educational Studies

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Susan Bush-Mecenas

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Frances Gipson

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Darneika Watson

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2026 Claudia Ramirez

Keywords

history teachers, lived experience, phenomenological, social science teachers, urban high school

Subject Categories

Education

Abstract

This study provides a phenomenological account of 19 urban high school history and social science teachers’ experiences teaching Black and Latinx students in California. The study explored teachers’ perceptions of how they navigated social-political contexts and district policies, their own understanding of instructional strengths and needs, and students’ learning capacities. Using a semi-structured interview protocol, participants responded to questions about a previously delivered lesson of their choice and to a vignette read-aloud comprising three scenarios. The data were organized using both deductive and inductive approaches in the qualitative data analysis software, ATLAS.ti. I analyzed the codes into patterns and themes within the framework of Cariño Pedagogy, exploring how participants’ sensemaking intersected with and explored their lived experiences of navigating their knowledge and skills when teaching students. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that the participants perceived themselves as (a) educators with deep content knowledge and a commitment to fostering relational building, (b) practitioners who connect students to culturally relevant learning experiences while navigating external tensions, (c) curriculum designers who curate supplemental resources reflecting multiple historical perspectives absent from the California’s history-social science content standards, and (d) facilitators of student-centered learning experiences who promote critical analysis of social justice issues within the constraints of sociopolitical and district mandates. The study offered insights into how high school history and social science teachers experience meaning-making when teaching Black and Latinx students in urban school settings.

ISBN

9798247942139

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