For My Oklahomies: Educators’ Perspectives on Policy, Public Discourse, and Professional Wellbeing

<p>This critical qualitative study examines how ideologies rooted in ultra-conservative movements shape the professional lives of Oklahoma K–12 educators, and how they maneuver, resist, or accommodate ideological forces within a climate of surveillance and professional delegitimization. Grounded in critical social theory and drawing on Foucault (1977) and Leonardo (2003), the study applies a recontextualized model of transformational resistance (Hannegan-Martinez et al., 2024) to analyze educators’ acts of agency within a restrictive policy landscape. </p> <p>Drawing on semi-structured interviews with eight Oklahoma K–12 teachers and administrators, this study employs critical narrative inquiry alongside reflexive thematic and critical policy analysis to ask: (1) How do these educators perceive and experience the influence of ultra-conservative policies and media narratives on their professional identity, relationships, and wellbeing? (2) What forms of agency, resistance, or accommodation emerge as Oklahoma educators navigate ideological forces that conflict with their educational values and constrain their professional autonomy, and what sustains their commitment to student-centered practice?</p> <p>Findings reveal that educators experience the cumulative weight of restrictive policies, media narratives, and public delegitimization as an ecology of silence that erodes professional autonomy, trust, and voice. Despite these conditions, every participant articulated a sustained, student-centered commitment. The study names this commitment pedagogical permanence, a form of resistance that persists regardless of policy environment. Administrative leadership emerges as a mediating force, situating Oklahoma as a policy forecast for other states. Implications address the relationship between ultra-conservative ideology and neoliberal privatization, the necessity of policy-informed administrator preparation, and the urgency of amplifying educator voices.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD Education for Social Justice

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation: Open Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Leadership Studies

Year dc:date.available

2026

Author dc:creator

• Herndon, Cassandra

• Ideology
• Extremist Ideology
• Discourse
• Media Discourse
• Narrative
• Critical Social Theory
• Critical Narrative Inquiry
• Policy
• Law
• Transformational Resistance
• Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
• Educational Leadership
• Educational Methods
• Educational Psychology
• Higher Education and Teaching

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/1123

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.sandiego.edu:dissertations-2137