The potential of non-representational theories in student voice research

This article explores the potential of using Non-representational theory (NRT) in higher education student voice research. NRT emerged from the work of human geographer Nigel Thrift in the 1990s [Thrift, 1996. Spatial formations. London: Sage]. NRT seeks to go beyond representation in social research focusing instead on the geographies of ‘what happens’. 

Building on previous work exploring the potential of NRT in educational research [e.g. Fendler, 2014. The ethics of materiality: Some insights from non-representational theory. In P. Smeyers & M. Depaepe (Eds.), Educational research: Material culture and its representation (pp. 115–132). Cham: Springer; Zembylas, 2017. The contribution of non-representational theories in education: Some affective, ethical and political implications. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 36, 393–407] this article argues, with caveats, that NRT has the potential to offer valuable insights into the richness and complexities of student voice not uncovered by representational approaches.