The enigma of Bernsteins's "Pedagogic Rights"

This chapter introduces the methodology used to describe the forms of knowledge presents in the ecole maternelle classrooms. Firstly, it details the data collection methods of the study. Secondly, it defines the descriptive concepts of vertical and horizontal discourse, as articulated by Bernstein (2007), and their reconceptualisation as detailed by Maton (2013) through the notion of semantic gravity. Thirdly, it sets out the indicators used to observe these forms in pedagogic activities. The chapter considers whether the modality of pedagogic activities allow or disallow the different forms of knowledge described to evolve to become closer to those sanctioned by the school. The combination of framing and semantic gravity allows an analysis of the link between forms of knowledge and pedagogy to describe how the different modalities of framing allow or disallow modifications of students' forms of knowledge when it does not correspond to the form expected by the school.