Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Leigh D’Amico

Abstract

This study examines the intersection of cultural capital and culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) within the context of eighth-grade social studies education. Grounded in a theoretical framework of Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory, Ladson-Billings’ theory of culturally relevant pedagogy, and principles of critical curriculum theory, this research study investigated how elements of objectified and embodied cultural capital manifested in student participants and how those elements may have been influenced using culturally relevant instructional strategies. Within the context of a mixed methods design, a qualitative survey instrument was administered to students enrolled in South Carolina and United States history courses and sought to identify the cultural knowledge, practices, and material resources that students brought to the classroom. The research study employed descriptive and thematic analysis to explore how these forms of capital aligned with or were activated by CRP-informed teaching. By centering students’ lived experiences and cultural contexts, this study contributed to the broader discourse surrounding curriculum equity and the role of culturally responsive pedagogy in shaping more inclusive, student-centered approaches to social studies instruction.

Rights

© 2026, Jessica Asten Leonard

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