Do you think I'm proper?: A case study of educational exclusion and the social construction of ability, achievement, and identity.

Abstract

Guided by sociocultural and social constructivist perspectives on learning, in this study I explore contextual influences on ability and disability. Through a narrative case study of the participation of one fifth grade boy, Jay, in diverse teaching and learning contexts both in and out of school, I make visible the situated and fluid nature of ability, identity, and achievement, and explore a range of factors contributing to their construction. In doing so, I challenge deficit and reductionist notions that locate ability and disability within individuals, and illustrate the role of educational and social exclusion in positioning students within particular identities. My work with Jay spanned 18 months, during which I spent an average of one day a week with Jay and additional time learning about his community. In total, I spent approximately 700 hours collecting data in Jay's school, home and community. Specific methods of data collection included observation and field notes, video and audio taping, structured, unstructured and stimulated recall interviews, collection of textual and graphic artifacts (such as the community newspaper and Jay's school work), still photography, and participant observation in classroom, community, and church events. Jay's story holds lessons for the design of teaching and learning contexts and for teacher education programs. Jay's participation in different contexts suggests that the tools available for mediation, the responses of others in the activity context, and the organization and focus of the activity bear on the construction of ability and identities of success and of failure. In each of the contexts where Jay participated successfully: (1) his use of discursive (written and verbal) reasoning tools was explicitly introduced and scaffolded, (2) his attempts to participate were responded to favorably by others in the context, (3) the activities reflected community values, and (4) Jay was interested, although to a greater or lesser extent, in the focus of the activity.