THINKING WITH DELEUZIAN-GUATTARIAN THEORY: AN EXPLORATION OF RHIZOMATIC LANGUAGE LEARNING

Abstract

In today's unpredictable world, students' learning becomes increasingly non-hierarchical, decentralised, and unexpected. This article explores how the “thinking with theory” approach, using concepts such as the rhizome, deterritorialisation, becoming, nomads, and lines of flight, as developed by Deleuze and Guattari, can help to understand the nature of rhizomatic learning of English among secondary school students (aged 18-19 in grades 11-12, representing the final two years of the four-year gymnasium level in Lithuania) in informal settings. We employed rhizoanalysis, which is based on the principles of the rhizome, including connectivity, heterogeneity, multiplicity, rupture, and cartography. We “plugged in” theory and data to one another, reading data across these theoretical concepts. The qualitative interview study involved 38 students from four Lithuanian gymnasiums. To demonstrate the visualisation of students' learning journeys, we present one student's rhizomatic map. Rhizomatic maps depict the assemblage of English skills (e.g., reading-listening or writing-speaking) and how these skills are connected to various informal learning activities. Thinking with Deleuzian-Guattarian theory enabled us to view the students' learning as a process of change, transformation, and becoming, occurring during non-hierarchical, unpredictable, uncontrolled, and inconsistent learning at home, and when communicating with friends and enjoying physical and virtual journeys. Nomadic behaviour and deterritorialisation mark a transformative process involving the opening up of new creative potential and the emergence of new forms of becoming Self-Other, becoming readers, translators, and artists. Most students learn English informally through activities such as watching films, listening to music and podcasts, playing games, and communicating on social media. This study emphasises the importance of integrating informal learning activities into formal education, even for upper-grade students preparing for high-stakes exams. This study has shown that rhizomatic English learning in an informal context can act as a “war machine” against the state apparatus that maintains structured, controlled, hierarchical education in formal classroom and school settings.