The Portrayal of EFL Teachers in Official Discourse: The Perpetuation of Disdain

Published

2010-07-01

La imagen de los profesores de inglés como lengua extranjera en el discurso oficial: la perpetuación del desdén

Keywords:

Teacher education, EFL teachers, critical discourse analysis, symbolic power, meaning as representation (en)
Formación docente, profesores de inglés como lengua extranjera, análisis crítico del discurso, poder simbólico, significado como representación (es)

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Authors

Carmen Helena Guerrero Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4011-788X

Abstract (en)
Abstract (es)

The purpose of this article is to offer an interpretation of the images of Colombian English teachers constructed in official discourse, particularly (but not exclusively) in the document "Estándares básicos de competencias en lenguas extranjeras: inglés. Formar en lenguas extranjeras, el reto". This is part of a larger critical discourse analysis research study whose main data source is the aforementioned document. The analysis was conducted following a Hallidayan "clause as representation" approach combined with Fairclough's methodology for a critical discourse analysis. Three main images were found: teachers are invisible; teachers as clerks; and teachers as technicians/marketers. The conclusions show that official discourse plays into folk concepts of Colombian teachers and feeds into them to validate official unilateral decisions.

Este artículo busca ofrecer una interpretación sobre las imágenes, que se han construido en el discurso oficial, de los maestros colombianos de inglés. Se examinará particularmente el documento "Estándares básicos de competencias en lenguas extranjeras: inglés. Formar en lenguas extranjeras, el reto". El análisis es parte de un estudio de investigación más amplio que usa la metodología de análisis crítico del discurso y cuyos datos primarios son los textos del citado documento. Se realizó el análisis siguiendo el enfoque propuesto por Halliday de "la cláusula como representación" en combinación con la metodología propuesta por Fairclough para hacer análisis crítico del discurso. Se identificaron tres imágenes: los profesores invisibles, los profesores como empleados y los profesores como técnicos/comercializadores.

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