The discursive positioning of teachers: Native-speaking English teachers and educational discourse in Hong Kong

This article reports on a qualitative study that explored the discursive positioning of native-speaking English teachers (NETs) in schools in Hong Kong. It draws on insights from discourse theory to examine NETs’ self-positioning, and their positioning by other stakeholders, as part of a dynamic process of identity formation. The participants were eight teachers who were employed in primary and secondary schools under the Hong Kong Government's Native English Teacher scheme. The author conducted in-depth interviews with each participant to gain an understanding of how the teachers discursively positioned themselves, and how they believed they were positioned by others, within their schools. The findings suggest that NETs perceive challenges to their self-positioning as professional language teachers from some local English teachers and school managers who seem to question the value of their teaching experiences and practices in the context of English language classrooms in Hong Kong. The article explores NETs’ responses to the antagonism between the different subject positions that they consider are available to them in Hong Kong schools and discusses implications for changes to existing systems and culture within schools as well as for future research. Copyright © 2012 TESOL International Association.