A Shift from the Margins: An Instrumental Case Study of Teachers’ Beliefs About Critical Professional Development for Healthy Integration of Social Studies and English Language Arts Within a Culturally Sustaining Framework

Abstract

This instrumental case study examined elementary teachers’ beliefs and experiences related to critical professional development (CPD) and its role in supporting the healthy integration of social studies and English Language Arts (ELA) through a culturally sustaining pedagogical lens. Guided by critical pedagogy and culturally sustaining pedagogy, the study explored how teacher participants perceived professional learning experiences as shaping their instructional practices, use of culturally sustaining approaches, and opportunities for social studies instruction within accountability driven contexts. The study was conducted in a Title I elementary school and involved a small group of elementary teachers who participated in a series of CPD workshops focused on culturally sustaining pedagogy and healthy integration. Data sources included semi-structured interviews, reflective teacher journals, and instructional artifacts. Data were analyzed using multi-cycle coding process to identify patterns across participants’ beliefs, instructional decision-making, and perceptions of time and curricular priorities. Findings indicated that participation in CPD supported teacher participants in reimagining social studies as an integrated and feasible component of their instructional day rather than an isolated or supplemental subject. Teacher participants described increased confidence in integrating social studies and ELA in intentional ways that aligned with accountability demands while also centering students’ cultural identities and lived experiences. Critical reflection and collaborative dialogue emerged as central to teacher participants’ shifts in instructional practices and understandings of culturally sustaining pedagogy. Additionally, teacher participants reported changes in how they perceived instructional time and priorities, noting that integration expanded opportunities for social studies instruction without detracting from literacy goals. This study contributes to the limited body of research on culturally sustaining pedagogy in elementary social studies by highlighting how critical professional development can support teachers’ agency, instructional integration, and sustained engagement with social studies in elementary classrooms.