Understanding the Impact of a Contentious Sociopolitical Landscape on Science Teachers: Considerations for the Field

• In Event: Critically Authoring Resistance in Mathematics and Science Education

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences of science teachers as they have encountered and been affected by polarizing sociopolitical rhetoric around the nexus of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and education. Through examination of case-study vignettes wherein K-12 science teachers encounter pushback on their teaching practices in light of ultraconservative legislation and rhetoric, we explore multiple “jumping in points” that we suggest may serve as critically important considerations for the field of science education research. By centering the voices, emotions, and experiences of science teachers as they grapple with increasingly volatile contexts of the U.S. K-12 educational landscape, we aim to better understand how science teachers may be better supported to teach in culturally responsive and justice-oriented ways.

Authors

• Shannon G. Davidson, University of Alabama

• Daniel Pimentel, University of Alabama