TEXAS POLITICS IN CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CURRICULUM Abbie R. Strunc Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2014 APPROVED: Kelley M. King, Major Professor Mariela Nuñez-Janes, Committee Member James Laney, Committee Member Karthigeyan Subramanian, Committee Member Nancy Nelson, Chair of the Department of Teacher Education and Administration Jerry Thomas, Dean of the College of Education Mark Wardell, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Strunc, Abbie R. Texas Politics in Citizenship Education: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Texas Government Curriculum. Doctor of Philosophy (Curriculum and Instruction- Curriculum Studies), May 2014, 403 pp., 3 tables, references, 122 titles. This study used a critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for government. These are the learning standards that public schools are required to use as the curriculum in Texas. Additionally, the study critically examined the Texas State Board of Education meeting minutes from the spring of 2010, when the board revised all social studies TEKS. James Gee’s framework for conducting CDA was used to analyze the government TEKS and meeting minutes to uncover the ways in which the language in the documents defines democratic and citizenship education in Texas, determine if the language creates an imbalance of power among participants in education, and do these documents agree with educational philosophers’ construct of citizenship and democratic education? The results of the CDA concluded that the Texas learning standards, and the words of many SBOE members reveal a preference toward right-wing, conservative beliefs. The construct of citizenship and democratic education created by the Texas government TEKS and SBOE meeting minutes contradicts these notions, as defined by educational theorists, and excludes those participants who do not embrace these beliefs. Copyright 2014 by Abbie R. Strunc ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am fortunate to have many individuals to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. I must express my appreciation to Dr. Kelley King, my major professor, for her leadership and encouragement. Dr. King continually pushed me to pursue excellence in scholarship and research. Dr. King’s passion for teaching and learning is evident in her commitment to her students. Her guidance has made this a thoughtful and rewarding endeavor. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Nuñez-Janes, Dr. Laney, and Dr. Subramanian, for their support as I completed this research project. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Wilhelm. He provided support and advice in the early stages of this process, and continues to be a source of encouragement. I am grateful for the contributions of each of the outstanding faculty with whom I’ve had the privilege to work. Thank you to Shawnte’ Scesney, Mindy Bonner, and Diane Gawedzinski for the time they devoted to proofreading my work. To my parents, I offer my deepest gratitude for watching my children as I dedicated time to research and writing. To Wesley, Emma, and Audrey, thank you for your patience and love; my heart belongs to each of you. Finally, thank you to John, who gave me the push to begin, the support to persevere, and always believed that I would finish. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vi TEXAS POLITICS IN THE CITIZENSHIP CURRICULUM: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT TEKS STANDARDS ....................................... 1 Theoretical Framework ....................................................................................................... 3 Method ................................................................................................................................ 8 Data Analysis of Texas Government Standards ............................................................... 10 Summary of the Texas Government Standards .................................................... 10 Significance........................................................................................................... 12 Activities ............................................................................................................... 16 Identities ................................................................................................................ 16 Relationships ......................................................................................................... 17 Politics................................................................................................................... 19 Connections with the Curriculum ......................................................................... 22 Signs and Systems of Knowledge ......................................................................... 25 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 26 National Government with Limited Authority ..................................................... 28 Importance of Individual Rights over the Collective Good .................................. 32 Emphasis on a Free Market Structure ................................................................... 34 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 36 References ......................................................................................................................... 38 TEXAS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS REVISION: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ........................................................................................ 42 Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................... 43 Democratic Education ....................................................................................................... 44 Democratic and Citizenship Education Associated .......................................................... 46 Citizenship Education ....................................................................................................... 47 Background ....................................................................................................................... 50 Concern for Students............................................................................................. 50 iv Responses to the New Curriculum ........................................................................ 53 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 55 Method .............................................................................................................................. 56 Research in Context .......................................................................................................... 59 Background of the Texas State Board of Education ............................................. 63 History of Social Studies TEKS Standards Revisions .......................................... 65 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 71 Significance........................................................................................................... 71 Activities ............................................................................................................... 74 Identities ................................................................................................................ 75 Relationships ......................................................................................................... 77 Politics................................................................................................................... 78 Connections........................................................................................................... 80 Signs and Systems of Knowledge ......................................................................... 81 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 82 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 82 National Government with Limited Authority ..................................................... 84 Importance of Individual Rights over the Collective Good .................................. 86 Free Market Structure Preference ......................................................................... 87 References ......................................................................................................................... 90 APPENDIX A. EXTENDED LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................. 99 APPENDIX B. DETAILED METHODOLOGY ....................................................................... 144 APPENDIX C. UNABRIDGED RESULTS .............................................................................. 164 APPENDIX D. TEXAS GOVERNMENT TEKS STANDARDS ............................................