Graduation Term
Summer 2025
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
School of Teaching and Learning: Reading
Committee Chair
Ellis Hurd
Committee Member
Beth MacDonald
Committee Member
Carolyn Hunt
Abstract
In this dissertation, I examined how dominant language ideologies in language politics and policy shape the professional identity development and pedagogical practices of five English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Burkina Faso. The study sought to understand how these ideologies influence teachers’ beliefs and perceptions of multilingual pedagogical approaches, as well as possible pathways for deconstructing them to promote student-centered practices. The participants’ accounts revealed that their academic and professional identities were largely shaped by the belief that home languages hinder proficiency in French and English. They recalled with remorse their elementary school experiences, where speaking native languages in class led to humiliation, punishment, and even physical abuse. Yet, while interpreting these negative policies, they acknowledged a paradox: French and English, despite being tools of exclusion, had provided them with professional opportunities that their native languages could not. Overall, their perspectives remained deeply influenced by pro-European language ideologies embedded in politics and education, even after exposure to multilingual pedagogical experimentation. To advance the integration of national languages in classrooms in contexts like Burkina Faso, it appears essential to dismantle inherited colonial ideologies and establish equal academic and professional opportunities for literacy in English, French, and national languages. Achieving this requires comprehensive national and sectoral language policy reforms. In education specifically, revising teacher training curricula and professional development programs is necessary to deconstruct dominant language ideologies.
Access Type
Thesis-Open Access
Recommended Citation
Some, Kountiala J., "Language Ideologies in Coloniality Contexts: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of EFL Teachers’ Experiences and Perceptions on the Use of Learners’ Language Repertoire as Assets for Teaching and Learning" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 2178.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/2178
DOI
https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD.1763755358.54114
Included in
African Languages and Societies Commons, Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, Secondary Education Commons, Secondary Education and Teaching Commons