Cell Phone Policies in Kansas: [Re]Positioning Cell Phones, Teachers, and Stakeholders

• In Event: Research In Progress Roundtable Session 5
  In Invited Roundtable: Policy Issues in Secondary and Postsecondary Education: Absenteeism, Cell Phones, and Student Debt (Table 14)

Abstract

Many current cell phone policies in K-12 schools reflect the growing belief that cell phones negatively impact student learning and development. This stems from teachers, educational leaders, and policymakers’ focus on mental health impacts and classroom engagement. In this qualitative discursive policy analysis, educational bodies are studied to see how they are framed within cell phone policies in school districts across Kansas. Our findings explore how cell phones are described and depicted, teachers’ assigned roles, and what other stakeholders are deemed necessary in personal device district policies. Through analysis of verbiage and language, this research can identify the most critical bodies and their role in cell phone use policies within Kansas classrooms.

Author

• Chloe Snow, Kansas State University