%0 Journal Article
	%A Fernanda T. Orsati and  Julie Causton
	%D 2015
	%J International Journal of Educational and Pedagogical Sciences
	%B World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
	%I Open Science Index 105, 2015
	%T A Blueprint for an Educational Trajectory: The Power of Discourse in Constructing “Naughty” and “Adorable” Kindergarten Students
	%U https://publications.waset.org/pdf/10002235
	%V 105
	%X Discursive practices enacted by educators in
kindergarten create a blueprint for how the educational trajectories of
students with disabilities are constructed. This two-year ethnographic
case study critically examines educators’ relationships with students
considered to present challenging behaviors in one kindergarten
classroom located in a predominantly White middle class school
district in the Northeast of the United States. Focusing on the
language and practices used by one special education teacher and
three teaching assistants, this paper analyzes how teacher responses
to students’ behaviors constructs and positions students over one year
of kindergarten education. Using a critical discourse analysis it shows
that educators understand students’ behaviors as deficit and needing
consequences. This study highlights how educators’ responses reflect
students' individual characteristics including family background,
socioeconomics and ability status. This paper offers in depth analysis
of two students’ stories, which evidenced that the language used by
educators amplifies the social positioning of students within the
classroom and creates a foundation for who they are constructed to
be. Through exploring routine language and practices, this paper
demonstrates that educators outlined a blueprint of kindergartners,
which positioned students as learners in ways that became the ground
for either a limited or a promising educational pathway for them.
	%P 3053 - 3061