Teaching the 2020 Election in the Times of Trump and COVID

• In Event: Building Equitable Pathways for Youth Voting Through K–12 Education

Abstract

Objectives

This paper explores how/what teachers across 12 US states taught about the 2020 election. Prior research indicates that teaching about elections can substantially strengthen students’ engagement in public issues (Author, 2016), yet educators have been hesitant to integrate current political issues because of rising polarization and xenophobia (Costello, 2017; Geller, 2019; McAvoy & Hess, 2013). Given the important civic value of teaching about elections, we were particularly interested in how teachers engage students in learning about the election and election-related issues in the context of COVID restrictions and the polarizing Trump presidency.

Theoretical Framework

Political efficacy, the belief that citizens can influence political processes and a strong predictor of political participation (Becker, 2004), increases when students discuss controversial public issues (Hahn, 1999; Morrell, 2005) and explore current events (Kenski & Stroud, 2006; Wells & Dudash, 2007). These experiences also strengthen students’ political interest, another strong predictor of future political action (e.g., voting) (Author, 2016, 2019). During elections, there are numerous ways that teachers can use current events to foster these pro-civic attitudes and civic skills and knowledge (e.g., Journell, 2011).

Methods

Email invitations were sent to a pool of US secondary social studies teachers (≈37,000) across 12 states (6 “battleground” and 6 non-competitive) two weeks after the 2020 national election. 1723 teachers provided complete responses. We conducted follow-up phone interviews with a sample of 45 respondents randomly selected from across the 12 states.

Data Sources

Survey responses report frequency of teaching, types of pedagogies and materials used, the challenges faced, and demographic and contextual information about the teacher and teaching context. Follow-up interviews provide a depth of how the election was taught and information on the influence of the local political context as well as the issue of disinformation that arose during the election and then continued past inauguration in January 2021.

Results

Our initial analysis of the descriptive statistics suggests that approximately 60% of respondents reported engaging their students in election-related topics at least weekly. There was no significant variance in frequency of teaching between states. The vast majority of these engagements were in civics/government classes (≈40%) and US history courses (≈30%). Over 90% of respondents agreed that COVID restrictions made it harder to teach the amount of content they would like. Others identified challenges to teaching about the election including their local political context.

Despite these challenges, 78% of respondents reported teaching current events and 72% reported holding discussions of social or political issues at least weekly. Issues taught most frequently include the electoral college and electoral process, disinformation, racial justice issues, climate change, and COVID-19. We are currently running additional analyses to better understand factors that explain any differences in what and how the election and related issues were taught.

Significance

Many students had the opportunity to learn about the election and related current events during the fall of 2020, and these experiences may have strengthened their political interest and efficacy, making them more likely to participate actively in future elections (Author, 2016, 2019).

Authors

• Jeremy D. Stoddard, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Paul G. Fitchett, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Brett L. M. Levy, University at Albany - SUNY