Happening in Education – An Empirical Study

The book describes an empirical study which inquired into the involvement of secondary school learners in the planning, preparation and enactment of two happenings. The study took the form of particpatory action research and used a data collection strategy based upon bricolage and the rhizome. Analysis was made of photographs, artefacts and posts from a blog, resulting from happening project sessions. Data was also gathered using auto-narrative, autobiographical interviews and group discussions. The data was interpreted in connection with educational discourses: critical pedagogy, teaching as a liminal practice and creative pedagogy. The research showed the learners were personally and actively involved in the happening project in contrast to what normally occurred in school lessons.