UC San Diego

In an era of increasing political polarization and intensified rhetoric, teachers must navigate directed attacks on educational initiatives. While prior research addresses conditions related to successful implementation of new policies in schools as well as the ways in which external threats can impact organizations and people working within them, less is known about how teachers react emotionally to polarized political rhetoric or how these reactions might relate to their perceptions of school climate and conditions. In an effort to address this gap, this mixed methods study investigated teachers’ affective responses to political rhetoric, their perceptions of conditions on their campuses, and the relationships therein. Using a dual theoretical framework of threat-rigidity theory and constructivism, the study explored three research questions via a concurrent embedded multi-phase mixed methods design using a quantitative survey with embedded qualitative components (n = 52) and opt-in interviews (n = 9). This study, conducted with public high school teachers in San Diego County, helps establish a greater understanding of how and in what ways an increasingly polarized political climate and its associated rhetoric influence teachers, schools, and systems. Findings indicate that, for the study participants: 1. the political climate is experienced through affective and identity-mediated meaning making; 2. heightened affective responses to the political climate correspond with perceived organizational constriction, which may exacerbate both affective strain and workplace challenges; and finally, 3. collaboration functions as both a protective condition and a point of tension in politically polarized schools. This study has implications for research, educational leadership, practice, policy, and social justice. While the current political climate continues to change, unearthing new feelings and emotional responses with it, it is imperative that the educational system responds nimbly to these potential effects in order to preserve their important work of ensuring students’ learning, wellness, and safety.