Abstract:Conceptualised from a range of sociological perspectives, and theorised extensively over the last 50 years, human agency is an integral element to lifelong learning. Poststructural theory with its decentred discursive construction of the learner offers a vibrant conception of classroom dynamics. This paper envisions how learner agency can be performative in the discursive space of a secondary classroom. The research disrupts the notion of a unified subject, a key tenet of sovereign theory that is evident in co… Show more
“…The theory of performativity conceives "identity as a paradox that is inherently unstable and revealing norms requiring continuous maintenance" (Hey,200: 439). This conceptualisation of identity provides grounds for agency to be conceived as contingent, non-unitary, complex and inter-discursive (Charteris, 2016). Butler (2009) argues that these norms are used to regulate people through a process of 'interpellation' or 'hail' (Davies, 2012).…”
Utilising the theoretical frameworks of theory of power and theory of performativity, this case study explored how learners exercised agency in the construction of their identity in school discourses. Data capture incorporated a mix of a survey, semi-structured interviews and field notes. Data was analysed using content analysis. A total of 90 learners participated in the survey. Fifteen learners, three teachers and three principals participated in semistructured interviews. This paper reports on findings from the semistructured interviews. Findings were twofold. First, schools used Foucault’s mechanisms and instruments of constructing learner identity. Learners were subjected to a constant gaze at schools. Second, learners became agentic in schools and asserted their own identities. Some of these identities clashed with the identity of the ‘ideal learner’ of schools. Despite established subject positions in schools, learners created their own subject positions to counter limiting and constraining identities that were imposed by the school.
“…The theory of performativity conceives "identity as a paradox that is inherently unstable and revealing norms requiring continuous maintenance" (Hey,200: 439). This conceptualisation of identity provides grounds for agency to be conceived as contingent, non-unitary, complex and inter-discursive (Charteris, 2016). Butler (2009) argues that these norms are used to regulate people through a process of 'interpellation' or 'hail' (Davies, 2012).…”
Utilising the theoretical frameworks of theory of power and theory of performativity, this case study explored how learners exercised agency in the construction of their identity in school discourses. Data capture incorporated a mix of a survey, semi-structured interviews and field notes. Data was analysed using content analysis. A total of 90 learners participated in the survey. Fifteen learners, three teachers and three principals participated in semistructured interviews. This paper reports on findings from the semistructured interviews. Findings were twofold. First, schools used Foucault’s mechanisms and instruments of constructing learner identity. Learners were subjected to a constant gaze at schools. Second, learners became agentic in schools and asserted their own identities. Some of these identities clashed with the identity of the ‘ideal learner’ of schools. Despite established subject positions in schools, learners created their own subject positions to counter limiting and constraining identities that were imposed by the school.
“…Agency emerges quite apparently in well‐established educational learning theories such as social constructivism, where sociocultural interaction is encouraged and utilised (Lave, 1988; Reynolds et al, 1996). In the era of lifelong learning, agency is considered an especially important characteristic for students to develop (Charteris, 2016). Agency has a plethora of definitions that are often quite contested.…”
Section: The Role Of Human Agency In the Learning Processmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…‘Free will’ is a common notion associated with the idea, but suffers as a thorough underpinning due to its failure to conceptualise the interacting elements of culture, beliefs and action (Ahearn, 2001). Agency, as a concept, is constantly in flux and is shaped by the discourses contained within the classroom or school milieu (Charteris, 2016). As such, it is situated and embodied within the sociocultural world of the student and the teacher.Agency is at once the possibility of imagining and asserting a new self in a figured world at the same time as it is about using one’s identity to imagine a new and different world.…”
Section: The Role Of Human Agency In the Learning Processmentioning
Today’s learners are engaging in study where access to knowledge is easier than it ever has been in human history. Rapid advancement of technology and the increasing ease with which communication and interaction can occur has dramatically changed the landscape in which teachers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) operate. The contemporary skills that students are required to possess include inter alia problem solving, creativity, teamwork abilities, communication skills and emotional intelligence. Despite the universal acceptance of their importance, these skills are commonly cited as underdeveloped and in addition, are still accompanied by outmoded ‘traditional’ forms of teaching and assessment. While the approaches of twentieth‐century education were successful in developing knowledge stores, the ubiquity of access to knowledge—coupled with the constantly changing nature of the world today—requires alternative conceptions of teaching and learning. This article focuses primarily on an exploration of learning metaphors and teaching with the overall lens of creating self‐regulated and furthermore, self‐determined learners. The article begins with an exploration of learning in STEM education and a critique of the pedagogical perspective, discussing why this epistemology may be insufficient for contemporary STEM learning. The article then considers an alternative and potentially more contemporary notion; the emergent pedagogic space. The article presents a theoretical model to conceptualise learning in STEM education, with the goal of informing both practice and research. The realisation of this proposed emergent pedagogical space is explored through an applied case study from a design and technology context.
“…The possibilities of students as active agents who resist assessment requirements is one that is not often explored. Student agency can be a fluid performance of power, where apparent resistance to teacher instruction can lead to students developing deeper understanding (Charteris 2016). In high performance cultures, student agency may not be seen as desirable, and parents and students may resist teacher efforts to move away from historic notions of the roles of teachers and students (Charteris and Thomas 2017;Evans 2013;Harris and Brown 2013).…”
Section: Students As Agents Reproduce and Transform Classroom Assessmmentioning
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