| The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of beginning Navajo teachers trained in a Navajo teacher-education program. The central research question was: How and to what extent do beginning Navajo teachers who are graduates of a tribal teacher education program that promotes bilingual and bicultural teaching skills able to include native language, history, and culture in their teaching? Additionally, it was important to identify factors that promote or hinder beginning teachers from this specific program to teach in bilingual and bicultural ways.; Navajo teachers who are grounded in their tribal language and traditions growing up are more apt to persist in weaving native language and culture into their teaching than individuals who are less grounded; regardless of the distinction, the graduates whom we observed tended to yield their commitments to infusing native language and culture in their teaching in the face of limited support from school and district administrators for teaching in bilingual and bicultural ways.; The qualitative case study design in this project draw from the insights, stories, and wisdom of Navajo teachers trained to teach, along with mainstream subjects, Navajo language and culture. The case analyses of four Navajo teachers used multiple sources of information to conduct an in-depth study of the cases including interviews, direct observations, and document analysis. The study analyzes six themes that weave across all four cases, creating conditions that work both for and against the inclusion of native language and culture in Navajo classrooms. |
