Children’s spatial narratives: exploring agency and multiliteracy through classroom mapping activities

The pedagogical potential of mapping activities as a multiliteracy tool for children to express their perceptions of classroom spaces is explored highlighting their creative thinking and agency. Drawing on ethnographic case studies in three culturally and linguistically diverse elementary classrooms, children’s mapping activities were analysed to reflect spatial narratives that extend beyond physical environments to encompass personal, cultural, and imaginative dimensions. Findings redefined intertextuality by integrating cultural references into multimodal elements, enriching discussions on writing practices within spatial representation. The study explored the interconnectedness of peer culture, school dynamics, and spatial routines in children’s narratives, emphasising the importance of fostering linguistic and visual resources to enhance agency and self-expression. By linking spatial narratives to personalisation and performative writing and drawing, this approach underscored the transformative potential of mapping in cultivating children’s expressive abilities and agency within educational contexts.