Us and Them: On linguistic exponents expressing teacher attitudes toward foreign students in the light of critical discourse analysis

Abstract

The following study utilises the data from a larger project (Rokita-Jaśkow et al., 2022) with a view to analysing the way in which EFL teachers describe their encounters with multilingual learners in their monolingual classes within critical discourse analysis framework and positioning theory. The analysis showed that the teachers studied position themselves and their students in relation to the newcomers differently depending on the language(s) they speak. The Us and Others distinction was more prominent in relation to English-speaking return migrant children, whom they positioned higher than their monolingual Polish students, and with whom they often struggled to maintain equal, if not superior position. Conversely, other multilinguals were positioned on the same level as Polish learners, yet subordinate to the teacher’s dominant role. It is concluded that such positioning, though marks inclusivity, signals persistent power relations in the educational setting, which may counteract integration of multilinguals.