New Materialism and the Study of Classroom Practices - Using Actor-Network Theory and the New Literacy Studies as Methodology

This book illustrates the application of socio-materialist theory to educational research contexts focused on the study of classroom practices. It explores the methodological opportunities, challenges and tensions the researcher faces in designing, conducting and analysing socio-materialist education research. Ruth Unsworth draws together two theoretical perspectives, actor-network theory (ANT) and the (new) literacy studies (LS), to offer a socio-material ‘way in’ to studying the complexity and dynamism of classroom practices. Drawing on an ethnographic study of teachers’ classroom practices in an English primary school, the author offers advice around research design, collecting and analysing data and the writing of ANT-LS accounts. This book contributes to the field of education research offering an in-depth exploration of the challenges and opportunities of social theory application, examining critical epistemological, practical and analytical aspects of socio-materialist theory as method.