“We’re Not Just Teaching Letters, We’re Helping Them Understand Themselves”: A Constructivist Grounded Theory of How Pre-Kindergarten Educators Use Culturally Responsive Literacy to Deliver Social and Emotional Instruction in Play-Based Classrooms

Author

• Ashley Wright, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Award Date

12-15-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching and Learning

First Committee Member

Chyllis Scott

Second Committee Member

Sophie Ladd

Third Committee Member

Iesha Jackson

Fourth Committee Member

Tracy Spies

Fifth Committee Member

Heather Van Ness

Number of Pages

237

Abstract

This qualitative study employed a constructivist grounded theory approach to explore how veteran pre-kindergarten educators integrate culturally responsive literacy (CRL) practices to support social-emotional instruction (SEI) within play-based learning classrooms. Drawing on interviews, classroom observations, reflective journals, and lesson plans, this research generated the grounded theory Culturally Responsive Social-Emotional Literacy Instruction in Play-Based Classrooms (CR-SELIP). CR-SELIP explains how teachers use literacy as a pedagogical bridge connecting culture, emotion, and learning in developmentally appropriate, play-centered identityaffirming ways.

Findings reveal that teachers embedded CRL strategies across classroom routines, including dramatic play, transitions, and morning meetings, through multilingual supports, student-authored texts, and culturally reflective materials. These embedded practices fostered empathy, belonging, and emotional vocabulary while positioning literacy and social-emotional learning as interdependent, relational processes rooted in play-based engagement. CR-SELIP contributes to early childhood scholarship by reframing culturally responsive literacy as a daily, relational practice that nurtures the whole child rather than a discrete academic domain. Implications for practice, policy, and teacher education highlight the importance of teacher autonomy, institutional support, and professional development that centers culture,emotion, and play as integral to early learning.

Keywords

constructivist grounded theory; culturally responsive literacy; culturally responsive pedagogy; early childhood education; pre-kindergarten; social-emotional learning

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Education | Educational Methods | Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education

File Format

PDF

File Size

1225 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Repository Citation

Wright, Ashley, "“We’re Not Just Teaching Letters, We’re Helping Them Understand Themselves”: A Constructivist Grounded Theory of How Pre-Kindergarten Educators Use Culturally Responsive Literacy to Deliver Social and Emotional Instruction in Play-Based Classrooms" (2025). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 5477.
https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/5477

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/