Abstracts
Abstract
Discourses of children as deficient and deviant are common within the education system and shape the ways in which educators interact with and respond to children. To illustrate this, we conducted a critical discourse analysis of a provincial policy document that directs schools in the development of Codes of Conduct. Drawing on poststructural theory, we demonstrate the ways in which the discourses within policy construct and reify particular identities of the child and of misbehaviour and how these discourse influence conceptions of behaviour “management.” We argue for a reconceptualization of the identity of the child as a contextualized and socially embedded being. In doing so, we articulate an opening for ethical engagements with children that rely on our responsibility for the other.
Résumé
Les discours sur les enfants déficients et déviants sont courants dans le système éducatif et façonnent la façon dont les éducateurs interagissent avec les enfants et y réagissent. Pour illustrer cela, nous avons effectué une analyse critique d’un document de politique provinciale qui oriente les écoles dans l’élaboration de codes de conduite. En nous appuyant sur la théorie poststructurelle, nous montrons comment les discours au sein des politiques construisent et réifient des identités particulières de l’enfant et des comportements répréhensibles et comment ces discours influencent les conceptions de la « gestion » du comportement. Nous plaidons pour une reconceptualisation de l’identité de l’enfant en tant qu’être contextualisé et socialement intégré. Ce faisant, nous ouvrons la voie à des engagements éthiques avec les enfants qui s’appuient sur notre responsabilité envers l’autre.
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Appendices
Biographical notes
Melanie D. Janzen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the University of Manitoba. Her research is informed by critical and feminist post-structural theories, with a central focus on exploring the inter-related workings of power and discourses, particularly as they relate to the identities of teachers and children. melanie.janzen@umanitoba.ca
Karen Schwartz is a Faculty Relations Officer at the University of Manitoba. Her research interests focus on issues facing people with intellectual disabilities. In particular, she is trying to better understand the ways in which every day and professional discourses marginalize people with intellectual disabilities and profoundly affect their lives. She has worked on local, provincial, national, and international research projects in the area of disability. She has published in national and international peer-reviewed journals in the fields of disability studies, medicine and health, and education, has contributed chapters in several edited books, and has presented at national and international conferences. karen.schwartz@umanitoba.ca
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Appendices
Notes biographiques
Melanie D. Janzen est professeure agrégée au département des programmes d’études, de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage de l’Université du Manitoba. Ses recherches s’appuient sur des théories critiques et féministes post-structurales, en mettant l’accent sur l’exploration des mécanismes interreliés du pouvoir et des discours, particulièrement en ce qui concerne l’identité des enseignants et des enfants. melanie.janzen@umanitoba.ca
Karen Schwartz est agente des relations avec l’ensemble professoral à l’Université du Manitoba. Ses intérêts de recherche se concentrent sur les problèmes auxquels font face les personnes ayant une déficience intellectuelle. En particulier, elle tente de mieux comprendre comment les discours quotidiens et professionnels marginalisent les personnes ayant une déficience intellectuelle et affectent profondément leur vie. Elle a participé à des projets de recherche locaux, provinciaux, nationaux et internationaux dans le domaine du handicap. Elle a publié dans des revues nationales et internationales évaluées par des pairs dans les domaines des études sur le handicap, de la médecine et de la santé et de l’éducation, a contribué à la rédaction de plusieurs chapitres de livres et a présenté des exposés à des conférences nationales et internationales. karen.schwartz@umanitoba.ca