A space to write: the construction of the writing subject in early schooling

• Published in: English Academy review Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 85 - 101
• Main Author: Dixon, Kerryn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 01-10-2007
• Subjects: early childhood literacy; emergent writing; Foucault; spatial theory; subjectivity
• ISSN: 1013-1752; 1753-5360
• DOI: 10.1080/10131750701452329

This article applies Foucault's (1977. Discipline and punish) theory of spatial distribution in relation to the teaching of writing in English medium classrooms in early schooling. It aims to highlight the value of working with spatial theory, by attempting to show the relationship between spatial configurations and writing practices that work to produce particular subjectivities. The research sites were two desegregated schools in Johannesburg - a pre-school and a primary school. A Grade 00, Grade 0, two Grade 1 classes and a Grade 3 class constituted the case studies in a multiple case study design. The primary method of data collection was participant observation. Observations were recorded through field notes and video recordings.These were supplemented by teacher interviews and artefact collection.The spatial layout and movement flows of the Grade 00 classroom reveal a writing subject who can make meaning through experimentation and exploration of resources. From Grade 0 this changes, as the emphasis shifts to correctness and a technical mastery of handwriting. Children are confined to their desks and subjected to high levels of corporeal training. By Grade 3, the writing subject emerges as docile and skilled, but with little opportunity to use writing for creative purposes.