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Chapter 1: Introduction


This dissertation studies three high school video production programs, exploring the unique contexts of each and the ways student activity is engaged with the social and material environments. The use of “space” in the title signifies a process that is theorized to contribute to student development, a process which stirs questions about ways to conduct video programs and school more generally. Space is central because it has both concrete and metaphorical meanings: Space is concretely the undefined areas between places that students frequently used in video work. It is also that space within theoretical zones that provide the freedom necessary for development to occur. Space is used throughout this document in a specific and atypical sense and should not be confused with how it is used elsewhere. It is used to indicate an absence—an empty area. It is used to indicate those actual and metaphorical openings into which students can expore and assert personal agendas.

Student video production uniquely reveals aspects of how development occurs and how the meanings of different contexts are part of the activity that potentially promote development. This dissertation marks the beginning of establishing methods that are anticipated to provide rich details about learning, development, and social relations. The methodological approach uses affordances of video production courses that are available in no other type of course. The courses themselves are relatively new to high school, and their introduction reflects diverse conceptions about school reform. The activities of video production generally afford opportunities for students to pursue new activities in their uses of video cameras, which have implications for both research and education. The underlying questions of how much space and what types of zones facilitate learning and development give focus to an exploration of what it means to produce videos in high school.


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