Liz Taylor

This article considers the potential of Doreen Massey’s work on the relational conceptualization of space as a multiplicity of trajectories to inform case study research in educational settings. I argue that the conceptualization can be useful at two levels: methodology and methods. At a methodological level, the case itself can be conceptualized as space. The heterogeneity and dynamism of space thought of in this way has implications for familiar case study issues such as the bounding of the case, the positioning of the researcher, issues of generalization, approach to triangulation, and ethical practices. At the level of methods, implications include the need for multiple methods that explore relationships and change over time. When the substantive topic of research is itself children and young people’s understanding of place, congruence between the conceptualization of place/space and methods of data collection used is particularly important. Overall, it is argued that Massey’s ideas have potential to inform, challenge, and enliven the practice of case study research.

The spatial turn has been marked by increasing interest in conceptions of space and place in diverse areas of research. However, the important links between place and identity have received less attention, particularly in educational research. This paper reports an 18‐month research project that aimed to develop a theory of place‐related identity through the textual transactions of reading and writing. The research was an in‐depth qualitative study in two phases: the first phase involved the development of an interdisciplinary theory of place‐related identity, which was ‘tested’ in a second empirical phase. Two contrasting primary school classes were the site for the research that included the development of a unit of work, inspired by the book My place, as a vehicle for exploring place‐related identity. The data were interviews, classroom observations and outcomes from pupils’ work. The construct of transcultural meanings, established from the analytic categories of localising identity, othering identity and identity as belonging, was identified as a defining phenomenon of place‐related identity. The conclusions offer reflections on the development of our initial theory as a result of the empirical work, and the implications for practice and future research.

This paper considers how children perceive and represent their placed-related identities through reading and writing. It reports on the findings of an 18-month interdisciplinary project, based at Cambridge University Faculty of Education, which aimed to consider children's place-related identities through their engagement with, and creation of, texts. This paper will discuss the project, its interdisciplinary theoretical framework, and the empirical research we conducted with two classes in primary schools in Eastern England. A key text used in our research was My Place by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins. Drawing on our interdisciplinary theoretical framework, particularly Doreen Massey's notion of place as a bundle of trajectories, and Louise Rosenblatt's notion of the transaction between the reader and the text, this paper will examine pages from My Place, children talking about how this text connects with them, children talking about their sense of place, and maps and writing the children produced based on their place.

This article demonstrates how a set of complementary qualitative methods can be used to construct a detailed picture not only of the nature of young people's representations of a distant place but the processes of learning by which such representations develop over the medium term. The analysis is based on an interpretive case study of a class of 13‐ to 14‐year‐olds in England learning about Japan as part of their geography curriculum. The findings identify three processes through which students’ representations of Japan became more detailed and nuanced over time: transfer of existing knowledge from other locational contexts to the distant place; active connection with new information; and processing of that information through categorisation and category refinement. Evidence from the study suggests the potential for learning activities designed to encourage these processes and highlights the need for additional longitudinal research in geography education.

The materiality as a characteristic feature of the picturebook does not only imply its existence as an artifact, but also its ability to represent a material world through images in a more direct and immediate manner than verbal texts. This article considers the representation of beds in picturebooks from two discreet yet closely connected perspectives: semiotics and cultural geography. The concept of place and space in a broad sense is central for the argument. Beds constitute a young child's closest surroundings and are frequently the only private space available. At the same time, beds are areas of power struggle between child and adult, as well as a border between self and the world, private and public. The article discusses, first, the physical aspects of the represented objects: their form, size, position on the page, and spatial relationship to other objects and characters, which all create a sense of space. Second, it probes into the function of the objects, such as their cultural connotations, significance for the narrative, and metaphorical implications.

The implications of the transdisciplinary spatial turn are attracting growing interest in a broad range of areas related to education. This paper draws on a methodology for interdisciplinary thinking in order to articulate a new theoretical configuration of place-related identity, and its implications for a research agenda. The new configuration is created through an analysis of place-related identities in narrative theory, texts and literacy processes. The emerging research agenda focuses on the ways children perceive and represent their place-related identities through reading and writing as inspired by and manifested in texts.