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Panopticon in the Classroom: Unveiling the Spatial Semiotics and Power Dynamics in Chinese Educational Spaces

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Title: Panopticon in the Classroom: Unveiling the Spatial Semiotics and Power Dynamics in Chinese Educational Spaces
Language: English
Authors: Yani Zhao, Weiqi Tian, Jingshen Ge (ORCID 0000-0002-0621-1277)
Source: British Journal of Sociology of Education. 2026 47(2):249-268.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Semiotics, Power Structure, Observation, Higher Education, Private Colleges, Classroom Environment, Discourse Analysis, Social Media, Seminars, Classroom Techniques, Accountability, Classroom Design
Geographic Terms: China
DOI: 10.1080/01425692.2025.2590629
ISSN: 0142-5692
1465-3346
Abstract: This study investigates how surveillance technologies shape spatial semiotics and power dynamics within Chinese university classrooms. Employing a discourse-design approach, we triangulate a visual-spatial analysis of 100 classrooms from ten elite universities, duoethnographic dialogues between a teacher and student, and a critical discourse analysis of social media debates. The findings reveal a central paradox: architecturally 'democratised' seminar-style classrooms often contain more intensive surveillance systems than traditional lecture halls, reinforcing disciplinary power under the guise of modernisation. This panoptic system, driven by institutional managerialism, reconfigures pedagogical relationships and fosters pervasive self-surveillance and anticipatory self-censorship among both students and faculty. By examining the lived realities and public contestations of surveillance, this research challenges techno-optimistic narratives and offers critical insights for global debates on balancing educational accountability with academic freedom.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1500744
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Panopticon in the Classroom: Unveiling the Spatial Semiotics and Power Dynamics in Chinese Educational Spaces
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yani+Zhao%22">Yani Zhao</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Weiqi+Tian%22">Weiqi Tian</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jingshen+Ge%22">Jingshen Ge</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0621-1277">0000-0002-0621-1277</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22British+Journal+of+Sociology+of+Education%22"><i>British Journal of Sociology of Education</i></searchLink>. 2026 47(2):249-268.
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  Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Semiotics%22">Semiotics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Power+Structure%22">Power Structure</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Observation%22">Observation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Private+Colleges%22">Private Colleges</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Classroom+Environment%22">Classroom Environment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Discourse+Analysis%22">Discourse Analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Media%22">Social Media</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Seminars%22">Seminars</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Classroom+Techniques%22">Classroom Techniques</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Accountability%22">Accountability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Classroom+Design%22">Classroom Design</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1080/01425692.2025.2590629
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  Data: 0142-5692<br />1465-3346
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: This study investigates how surveillance technologies shape spatial semiotics and power dynamics within Chinese university classrooms. Employing a discourse-design approach, we triangulate a visual-spatial analysis of 100 classrooms from ten elite universities, duoethnographic dialogues between a teacher and student, and a critical discourse analysis of social media debates. The findings reveal a central paradox: architecturally 'democratised' seminar-style classrooms often contain more intensive surveillance systems than traditional lecture halls, reinforcing disciplinary power under the guise of modernisation. This panoptic system, driven by institutional managerialism, reconfigures pedagogical relationships and fosters pervasive self-surveillance and anticipatory self-censorship among both students and faculty. By examining the lived realities and public contestations of surveillance, this research challenges techno-optimistic narratives and offers critical insights for global debates on balancing educational accountability with academic freedom.
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  Data: 2026
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 20
        StartPage: 249
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        Type: general
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      – SubjectFull: Power Structure
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      – SubjectFull: Seminars
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      – SubjectFull: Classroom Techniques
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      – SubjectFull: China
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