Bodies in motion: exploring transformations of students’ embodied practices through middle school years

Abstract

This paper explores embodied practices and relations of students’ ‘hexis’, the bodily part of habitus, during middle school years in a Danish state school setting, focusing on how these practices are shaped by classroom dynamics and grade level. Drawing on field notes and vignettes from 12 visits across 3 grade levels in 2 state schools – fifth grade (ages 11–12), seventh grade (ages 13–14), and ninth grade (ages 15–16) – the study reveals distinct patterns of body practices. Fifth graders exhibit a collective hexis in flux, seventh graders express more still and individual practices, and ninth graders demonstrate a complex mix characterised by individual stillness and collective in-flux. Notable gender differences emerge in the incorporation of school norms at seventh and ninth grades, with girls more likely to embody and take advantage of doxic orders of stillness. Highlighting the significant role of institutional and social contexts in shaping students’ embodied practices, this study offers a nuanced understanding of the interplay between body, time, and space in educational settings.

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