RESTRICTIVE EDUCATION LEGISLATION: AN EXPLORATION OF RURAL TEACHER EXPERIENCES

Abstract

Education policy and legislation seeking to restrict what can and cannot be taught in classrooms has increased over the past few years. Scholars theorize that such external censorship may have demoralizing effects on teachers and their teaching. While empirical research has found some evidence that teachers generally feel negatively impacted by restrictive education legislation, little research exists on how rural educators perceive these policies and legislation. Factors unique to rural communities such as perceptions of ineffective government representation and demographic composition may contribute to experiences among rural educators that differ from teachers in urban or suburban contexts. This study seeks to understand the degree to which rural educators feel impacted by restrictive education legislation. For the analysis, this study draws on Santoro’s Demoralization framework. Semi-structured interviews with 24 rural educators (3 fringe rural, 9 remote rural, and 12 distant rural) are conducted. This study contributes to existing literature by using qualitative methods to advance knowledge of restrictive education legislation from the perspective of rural educators. It also makes policy suggestions to reduce demoralization among rural teachers and thereby increase retention of rural teachers.