Polarization in the classroom: Preconceptions of German teacher students

The issue of polarization in the classroom has taken on new meaning in the last years and has become a topical educational and academic issue at least since the transformation of the U.S. society during the years of the Trump administration (Rogers 2017; Schaffner/MacWilliams/Nteta 2018; Zick 2016). For our analysis we chose a micro-perspective into the classroom and focus on teachers. The beliefs and attitudes of professionals in the field of civic education in general, and for teachers in particular, is characterized by high levels of uncertainty concerning their roles as educators, citizens, and social scientists. Political tensions are translated into social stress in the classroom. Therefore, new, specific needs for skills to manage this stress in the classroom have to be addressed. To be fruitful, these have to take the beliefs and attitudes of teachers into account. That’s why, in this study, the beliefs and preconceptions of future civics teachers about these tensions are explored in a series of qualitative interviews with German teacher students at different levels of their professionalization process. The findings are discussed with regard to the development of reconciliation competences. We assume that the prerequisites of a pedagogical program of reconciliation go beyond the existing requirements of tolerance and diversity education. References: Rogers, John (2017): Teaching and Learning in the Age of Trump: Increasing Stress and Hostility in America’s High Schools, URL: https://idea.gseis.ucla.edu/publications/teaching-and-learning-in-age-of-trump Schaffner, Brian F. / MacWilliams, Matthew / Nteta, Tatishe (2018): Understanding White Polarization in the 2016 Vote for President: The Sobering Role of Racism and Sexism, in: Political Science Quarterly 133,1: 9-34, DOI: 10.1002/polq.12737. Zick, Andreas (2016): Polarisierung und radikale Abwehr - Fragen an eine gespaltene Gesellschaft und Leitmotive politischer Bildung, in: in: Gespaltene Mitte - Feindselige Zustände: Rechtsextreme Einstellungen in Deutschland 2016 (hrsg. für die Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung von Ralf Melzer), Bonn: Dietz, 203-218.