Exploring students’ metaphors for learning in Western Sydney schools

ABSTRACT

In both academic and policy spaces, learning is often cast as lifelong, dynamic, constructive and in particular, agentic. Despite this focus students’ voices are rarely privileged in these spaces – especially in policy. We respond to this oversight by deploying Foucault’s theories of knowledge to explore how students understand themselves as learners, considering this alongside dominant political and academic discursive constructions of learning. Using a metaphor card approach, we explored metaphors for learning articulated by students in longitudinal focus group interviews. Conducted over a two-year period with 47 students from four Western Sydney schools, student metaphors for learning were diverse and wide-ranging, frequently reflecting strategic approaches to learning that aligned with requirements of high stakes exit exams. Significantly, student descriptions of themselves as exhausted, passive containers of impermanent learning were at odds with national and international policy and higher education constructions of learning as ‘lifelong and agentic’. This contradiction raises critical questions about students’ experiences of learning in schools, the role of teacher education, and re-direction of university equity programmes aimed at increasing access and participation for educationally marginalised students.

KEYWORDS:

• Metaphor
• Foucault
• inequality/social exclusion in education
• lifelong learning
• educational policy

Acknowlegements

The authors would like to acknowledge researchers from the wider evaluation project team including Debra Hayes and Nathan Berger, as well as key research assistants involved in data collection, Shannon Said, Amanda Freeborn, Sussan Allaou, Billy Chan, Kashmira Dave, Valentina Olivares and Lingqi Tan. We would also like to acknowledge the personnel from the Widening Participation program team who design and deliver the programs under evaluation; we appreciate all the liaison work with schools to make this project possible.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by The University of Sydney, under national HEPPP funding schemes;University of Sydney [IRMA ID 199836].

Notes on contributors

Samantha McMahon

Samantha McMahon’s research interests include sociology of education, medicalisation of child behaviour, pre-service teacher epistemology, inclusive education and teacher education. Her work explores how teachers’ engagement with multiple knowledges effects the equity of student experience. Sam’s mainly ethnographic research includes participation in The AIME Research Partnership (the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience), widening participation programs and NSW public schools. Sam works at The University of Sydney in initial teacher education.

Meghan Stacey

Meghan Stacey is a lecturer in the sociology of education and education policy. Taking a particular interest in teachers, her research considers how teachers’ work is framed by policy, as well as the effects of such policy for those who work with, within and against it. Meghan completed her PhD with the University of Sydney in 2018.

Valerie Harwood

Valerie Harwood is a Professor of Sociology and Anthropology of Education, Sydney School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney. She was an Australian Research Council Future Fellow 2014-2019 and is an Honorary Professorial Fellow, Australian Health Services Research Institute (AHSRI), University of Wollongong. Valerie’s research is centred on a social and cultural analysis of participation in educational futures. This work involves learning about collaborative approaches and in-depth fieldwork on educational justice with young people, families and communities.

Nada Labib

Nada Labib is a researcher and academic at the Sydney School of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney. Nada’s research interests lie in the fields of Higher Education, Sociology of Education and Comparative and International Education. Nada is particularly interested in gender equity regarding choice, access to and participation in higher education and non-traditional careers.

Alexandra Wong

Alexandra Wong is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Culture and Society. She is currently working on two ARC Discovery Projects titled ‘Civic Sinoburbia’ (2020-2024) and ‘Schooling, Parenting and Ethnicity’ (2020-2023). Alexandra received interdisciplinary training from her PhD at the University of Edinburgh, UK. Her research of 4 focuses on (1) creative cities and cultural policies (2) migration and multiculturalism (3) urban studies and sustainable development.

Sheelagh Daniels-Mayes

Sheelagh Daniels-Mayes is a Kamilaroi woman originally from north-western NSW. She joined the Sydney School of Education and Social Work in 2017 as a Fellow in the Wingara Mura Leadership Program. In 2016, Sheelagh completed her doctorate titled: Culturally Responsive Pedagogies of Success: Improving educational outcomes for Australian Aboriginal students, at the University of South Australia. Her thesis infused Culturally Responsive Pedagogy with Critical Race Theory. She has studied in the areas of education, criminology and psychology.