The Narratives and Discourses of Texas Teachers: Stories, Beliefs, Attitudes, and Perceptions in an Era of Heightened Book Challenges and Book Censorship

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Contested Classrooms: Censorship, Polarization, and Teacher Policy in U.S. Education

Abstract

Book challenges, book bans, and curriculum restrictions have become a polarizing and acute dilemma for some Texas educators. This study examines the lived experiences of Texas educators living and working through an era of increased book censorship, and the chilling effect and self-censorship that occur due to the beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, and emotions of educators, as well as the legislation, news, and media reports surrounding them. A mixture of critical discourse analysis of pertinent and participant-identified legislation, along with narrative inquiry, analyzes the influences, language use, discourses, and experiences of Texas educators and the language employed in legislation and policy through the lens of Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory.

Author

• Erin Ashcraft, University of North Texas