Constructing culture and negotiating identity in a local South African EFL classroom : unsettling pedagogies.

Abstract

This research report explores the ways in which English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students and an EFL teacher position themselves in relation to the themes of ‘local’ materials as well as to the ‘global’ EFL pedagogy in a local South African classroom. This research was undertaken to investigate the relevance of local constructions of culture and identity within broader global EFL discourses and classroom practices. The research was conducted at International House Johannesburg, an affiliate member school of a British-based EFL organisation, and focused on a group of ‘foreign’ adult students from non-English speaking African countries. The 16 page module of materials entitled Customs in our Time, was designed by the researcher, and attempted to create a space for the local by incorporating texts about customs and rituals practised in certain African countries. The overall design of the study is qualitative and draws on aspects of an ethnographic methodology. Spoken interaction in the classroom, as well as transcripts of interviews with the twelve participants involved, are the focus of this analysis. I draw on the work of Canagarajah (2005) and Pennycook (1994) in situating this research in broader sociohistorical context. I also utilise post-structuralist theory to conceptualise the key constructs of this research: language, culture and identity (Weedon, 1987). Of particular relevance to this study is the post-structuralist notion of positioning in understanding the subjectivities of the research participants (Davies & Harré, 1990). In analysing the data, I demonstrate that there are multiple, diverse and contradictory identity positions circulating in the local classroom space. I argue that the dominant EFL pedagogy works to negate the hybridity of this space and in doing so strips the communicative context of it authenticity. The research thus argues that an acknowledgment of the multiple voices and positions of the students and teacher in the local classroom space is essential for the creation of a more ethical and productive pedagogy: a localized pedagogy.