Applying Bourdieuian thinking to disciplinary settings: The case of teacher education research and (the field of) field experience

Visting Scholar Seminar

Professor Kathleen Nolan draws on the conceptual tools of Bourdieu’s social field theory in the context of a research study on the role of university supervision in teacher education field experience (school practicum).

The study conveys one teacher educator’s efforts to disrupt and reconceptualise the network of relations in (the field of) field experience, with a goal of understanding how teacher educators might take a reflexive stance on the habits and cultural capital shaping action in/of the field.

While analysis of self-study data is central to the seminar, the deeper purpose lies in discussing the research data through the lens of a newly proposed theoretical framework for research in teacher education, referred to as a Bourdieu-informed discourse analysis (BIDA). In doing so, this seminar also proposes new theory-practice transition spaces—productive spaces where collaboration and dialogue function to unpack the structures and social practices of fields.

Dr Shaun Rawolle (Deakin University) will respond, before opening up to a wider discussion with all attendees.

Kathleen Nolan

Kathleen Nolan is Professor in Mathematics Education at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in mathematics curriculum, qualitative research, and contemporary issues in education. Her research focuses on mathematics teacher education, exploring issues of teacher identity, and the regulatory practices of schooling, learning and knowing, with Bourdieu’s social field theory featuring prominently in her work. Kathleen’s research has been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She has authored and/or co-edited two books in addition to more than 45 published articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings papers.

Posted Jul 2, 2019