Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and Language Learning

Culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) has emerged as a dynamic educational framework aimed at preserving, valuing, and promoting students’ linguistic and cultural identities while advancing their academic growth. Within the context of language learning, CSP challenges deficit models that view linguistic diversity as a barrier and instead positions it as a resource for learning. The approach builds on sociocultural theories of education, which emphasize the role of culture and community in cognitive development. Through CSP, educators are encouraged to maintain and extend students’ cultural and linguistic practices rather than replace them with dominant or standardized forms. This shift has profound implications for how teachers design curriculum, interact with learners, and assess language proficiency. The integration of culturally sustaining pedagogy in language classrooms also addresses issues of social justice by acknowledging the historical and political forces that have marginalized minority languages and cultures. By incorporating multilingual practices, community narratives, and authentic cultural expressions, CSP helps learners develop linguistic competence alongside cultural consciousness. As global migration and technological interconnectedness continue to reshape societies, culturally sustaining pedagogy provides a necessary educational model that aligns with principles of inclusivity, pluralism, and equity. This paper explores the theoretical foundations, pedagogical strategies, and empirical insights that define CSP within language learning, emphasizing its transformative potential to reframe classroom discourse, teacher identity, and learner agency in multilingual education systems.