This study followed each of three students in several different social contexts within an elementary classroom, analyzing their discourse from different theoretical perspectives. The social construction and reconstruction of students across different classrooms, tasks, and social contexts was examined, including the influence of constructs pertaining to social class, race, ethnicity, and culture. Although teachers had described the students as having such fixed characteristics as "shyness," results of taped and observed interactions indicated that students' subjectivities and personality traits were more dynamic, and that their interactional styles varied as they encountered different tasks and changing group compositions. Implications for practice are discussed, including the importance of balancing large and small group activities and the value of encouraging multiple interpretations of literary materials. (Contains 45 references.) (PB)