Date of Award
Spring 6-12-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning Sciences
Organizational Unit
Morgridge College of Education, Teaching and Learning Sciences, Curriculum and Instruction
First Advisor
Brette Garner
Second Advisor
Rashida Banerjee
Third Advisor
Marc Guerrero
Fourth Advisor
Peter Organisciak
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
AI literacy, Culturally and linguistically sustaining (CLS) pedagogy, Design-based research, Digital intersectional feminism, K-12 education, Phenomenography
Abstract
This study explores the qualitative variation in how educators in Denver Public Schools (DPS) design, implement and conceive of culturally and linguistically (CLS) sustaining approaches to AI literacy through a design-based research (DBR) phenomenographic study. This research grounded in a Digital Intersectional Feminist conceptual framework responds to global calls for participatory CLS AI literacy, national mandates for AI integration into education, and local demands from staff, students, and families to center ethics, equity, and inclusion. Through a 45-hour professional development unit (PDU), participants co-design, implement, and refine contextualized, interdisciplinary AI-infused lessons through DBR communities of practice. Phenomenographic data analysis captures the variation in educators’ conceptions of AI curriculum across diverse settings while also mapping how educators move from technical integration toward more critical, humanizing, and participatory approaches to AI literacy. Findings offer practical tools, community-centered structures, and theoretical insights into supporting ethical, equitable, and inclusive AI literacy in K-12 schools.
Copyright Date
6-2026
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Kali Peracchia
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
344 pgs
File Size
6.7 MB
Recommended Citation
Peracchia, Kali, "Imagining Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining AI Literacy in K-12 Schools: A Participatory Design-Based Approach to Phenomenography" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2735.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2735
Included in
Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Technology Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons