Redefining the teacher's positioning as gatekeeper in a Portuguese as a Foreign Language class in Macau

Abstract

Positioning is a dynamic socio-interactional phenomenon that can be assumed, challenged and transformed by participants during a social encounter. Even in very typical hierarchical situations, such as those in institutions, there is always room for improvisation and changes that break the ritual, altering the expected manner by which participants are supposed to interact. These changes cause (re)negotiation of the institutionally imposed positionings. In this article, we discuss data collected from a Portuguese as a Foreign Language (PFL) class in a Luso-Chinese primary school in Macau. Using an ethnographic microanalysis, moment-by-moment data is interpreted, identifying aspects that redefine the statuses of participants during classroom encounters. The results indicate that even being the central figure of the interaction, the teacher cannot maintain her gatekeeper positioning throughout the lesson. Many verbal and non-verbal elements present during the interaction exercise influence over the (re)organisation of the participants' positionings, enabling the students to negotiate the power usually delegated only to the teacher. This kind of behaviour can be considered ‘exuberant’ once it is not limited to the rules imposed by a traditional teaching system. It also casts doubt on the social and psychological determinism that is present in studies carried out in Chinese teaching/learning settings.

Keywords:

• positioning
• Chinese students
• PFL
• classroom discourse
• teacher's talk
• Macau

Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this article was presented at the conference ‘Cross Cultural Pragmatics at a Crossroads III’ held at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, 26–28 June 2013. The data analysed in this study is part of the project ‘Interactions in PFL classrooms and the building of contextual competence: the Macau context’, which was financially supported by the University of Macau Research & Development Administration Office (R&DAO) and coordinated by Prof. Roberval Teixeira e Silva. Many thanks to him for all the assistance provided. Special thanks to Prof. Shi-xu and the two JMD reviewers who made valuable suggestions for the final version of this article.

Notes on contributor

Ricardo Moutinho is a senior instructor at the University of Macau. He holds a bachelor's degree in Language and Literature, a master's degree in Applied Linguistics and a Ph.D. in Interactional Sociolinguistics. Dr Moutinho is currently working on his postdoctoral research in Language Assessment at the State University of Campinas (Brazil). He has published more than 10 articles, 6 chapters and organised 2 special issues of PFL journals. He has experience in Language Teaching/Learning, focusing on Assessment, Teachers' Qualification, Constructions of Identities in Foreign and Second Language Acquisition and Participation Framework in Language Classes.