Positioning Theory in Education

Abstract

Positioning theory is a social theorization that aims to capture the dynamic analysis of conversations and discourses taking place in a social setting. Conversations as part of language assume interlocutors. As one engages in the interactive speech acts in the social setting, there comes the importance of interlocutors involved in these speech acts in creating a social reality, as language forms the knowledge of reality. Certain types of rights and duties can be observed in interactions between speakers and hearers in a social communicative context of interlocutors. The cluster of rights and duties, recognized in a certain social setting, can be termed as a position. One of the critical aspects is that positions are not always intentional or even conscious. Therefore, positioning theory has been redefined as a method of analysis with a focus on storylines. Storylines reveal implicit ascriptions and resistances of rights and duties through the performance of a variety of actions in a social setting where appropriateness of social acts are established and recognized by the participants engaged within the social situation. The education setting presents a dynamic situation where a variety of moral orders come into actions that set possibilities for different actors to engage in shifting positioning to accomplish certain educational actions. This entry presents the use of positioning theory in an educational setting.

Cross-Pollinating Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies and Systemic Functional Linguistics in English as a Second Language (ESL) Classrooms

“…While implementing CS SFL in their classrooms, both teachers were found to have positioned their EB students through positive perspectives. Felix and Ali (2023) maintain that positioning theory aims to capture the dynamics of discursive practices in a particular social setting in which the participants continue positioning and repositioning themselves and others based on their roles or responsibilities. As such, individuals' positions in a piece of discourse are determined in a particular moment based on how they position themselves, position others being involved in a discourse, and are positioned by others (Langenhove & Harré, 1994).…”