Although space is a central and widely studied social category, and even though we act as spatially constituted beings, space as a pedagogical category remains largely neglected in educational research and pedagogical practice within the school context (cf. Bentlin & Klepp 2021; Sesink 2014). The few available studies in this field suggest, among other things, that in-service teachers largely operate with a deterministic understanding of space (cf. Deinet 2007). This hampers the development of emancipatory spatial practices, which are necessary to meet the specific and current demands placed on schools (cf. Klopsch & Sliwka 2020).

Cultural engagements with and experiences in built environments across diverse learning and educational spaces shape key biographical orientations (cf. Deinet & Reutlinger 2014; Beutlin & Klepp 2021). This forms the starting point for the research project outlined here, which integrates perspectives from spatial sociology, teacher professionalization research, and praxeological sociology of knowledge (cf. Löw 2001; Bohnsack 2014; Matthes 2016; Matthes & Herrmann 2018), and builds on biographical research on educational and professional spaces (cf. Meusburger 1998; Schenz 2012; Hansen 2019).

The goal is to identify key categories of subjective spatial constitution among (prospective) teachers in the school context (cf. Kluge & Kelle 2010), in order to reveal both the biographical relevance of individual perspectives and the significance of structural factors in national and international comparison. This serves as a foundation for the further development of emancipatory spatial practices in educational contexts.

The project focuses on the following research questions:

• How do (pre-service) teachers position people and objects within the synthesis of the “classroom,” and how do they justify these spatial arrangements?
• How do (pre-service) teachers deal with disruptions to their spatial imaginaries?
• What similarities and differences can be identified in the spatial constitution of (pre-service) educators in international comparison, as well as across different career stages and professional contexts?

To address these questions, a qualitative-visual methodological approach is employed. Since the linguistic construction of space presents a challenge, visual and material-based methods are used. Working with drawings and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® brings the self-produced “experiential image” of teachers’ professional lives to the forefront - as an outward expression of an “internal visual representation” (Dörner 2009: 3).

The analysis of these data is conducted through qualitative image interpretation in combination with text-based content analysis (cf. Beutlin & Klepp 2021; Ecarius 2008; Ruokonen-Engler 2018; Meuser & Nagel 2010; Mayring & Fenzl 2019). Specifically, documentary image interpretation according to Bohnsack and visual segment analysis (cf. Breckner 2012) are applied.

The sample includes both prospective and practicing teachers at various stages of their careers and from different educational systems.