Subjectivity and schooling in a longitudinal study of secondary students

This article addresses the question of how to interpret the relation betwee n the production of subjectivity and the effects of different forms of scho oling. Two kinds of problem are explored. The first is the immediate empiri cal and historical one of understanding how gender and Glass subjectivity t akes shape and is embodied by Australian secondary-school students. This is investigated through close readings of interviews with two young people wh o are participants in a qualitative, longitudinal study of Australian secon dary-school students-the '12 to 18 Project'. The article thus examines the developmental and longitudinal aspect of identity formation, and addresses the impact of feminism on gender change. The second problem is how to theor ise the subjectivity-schooling relation, and this is explored through an an alysis of the interactions between individual biographies and the aspiratio ns and discursive practices of different schools. After considering some co ntemporary approaches to subjectivity, the discussion proposes a return to Bourdieu's notions of habitus and social field and, through an analysis of the two case studies, illustrates how habitus is formed over time.