Irony and the moral order of secondary school classrooms

This paper describes how irony is used to negatively evaluate student behaviour in sequences where students disrupt or resist the official business of the lesson and thus challenge the teacher's authority. Irony-implicative utterances, i.e. utterances hearable as ironic in their context, are examined from two complementary perspectives: (i) the intricate interactional work utterances involve; how utterances are hearable as ironic and how participants negotiate their implications within the sequences of action in which the utterances are occasioned and used, and (ii) the use of irony in the local management of moral orders in the classroom. Findings show that irony-implicative utterances are used to deal with designedly cheeky utterances by students and invoke the boundaries of acceptable conduct especially at transitional phases during lessons. Irony can also be embedded in instructional questioning sequences, where it serves to convey disapproval or criticism for inappropriate student action. Finally, irony or sarcasm is used in conflictual exchanges to build opposition and manage resistance.

Research highlights▶ Irony is one resource for dealing with designedly cheeky utterances by students. ▶ It is used to invoke the boundaries of acceptable conduct especially at transitional phases during lessons. ▶ Irony occurs also in instructional questioning sequences, where it serves to convey disapproval or criticism for inappropriate student action. ▶ Irony or sarcasm is used in conflictual exchanges to build opposition and manage resistance.