Date of Award
6-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Publisher
Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
First Advisor
Argelia Lara
Second Advisor
Diane Ketelle
Third Advisor
Marco Murillo
Abstract
This dissertation explores the experiences of Chicana/Latina mother-leaders in K-12 education during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on how they managed their dual roles as educators and mothers amidst unprecedented times. The study utilized pláticas with four school leaders from Northern California to investigate how they balanced professional and personal responsibilities during and after the onset of the pandemic. Grounded in Chicana Feminist Epistemology (CFE), the research highlights the lived experiences and cultural insights of Chicanas/Latinas, extending cultural intuition to include motherhood intuition, which is defined in this study. It also incorporates Gloria Anzaldúa’s concepts of conocimiento, Nepantla, and the Coyolxauhqui Imperative, which, when intertwined within the CFE framework, shed light on how these mother-leaders navigated their intersecting identities during the crisis.
The findings reveal that the pandemic not only exacerbated existing disparities but also underscored the resilience, adaptability, and community-oriented leadership of Chicana/Latina mother-leaders. Despite facing increased mental health challenges and systemic inequities, they drew strength from their own lived realities, conocimiento, cultural and motherhood intuition to navigate mothering and school leadership. The study also reveals their current efforts to live in Nepantla and applying the Coyocaulqui Imperative as they strive to prioritize their healing in leading and mothering as Chicana/Latinas today.
Recommended Citation
Mancera de González, Edith, "Chicana/Latina Mother-Leaders: Balancing K-12 Leadership and Motherhood Amidst Covid-19" (2024). Social Justice in Educational Leadership EdD Dissertations. 12.
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/ed_dissertations/12
