Students’ Positioning in the Classroom: A Case of Undergraduates Learning English as a Second Language in Sri Lanka

This study investigates the impact of positioning of ESL learners in learning English using first year undergraduates at University of Kelaniya. The Positioning Theory introduced by Davies and Harré (1990) provides the basis for the study. This study focuses on investigating how second language learners position themselves in framing the identities when interacting with their teacher and classmates, and the impact of using different seating arrangements (as a type of positioning) in providing language learning opportunities. Participants of this study were 2 lecturers of English and 35 first year undergraduates of Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya. Data for the study were collected from a background information questionnaire, classroom observations, and a focus group interview respectively. The findings of the study showed that students positioned themselves in different ways and it was observed that a least number of students make use of the opportunities in the language classroom. Hence, this study provides insights on the effective use of positioning of students in language classroom specifically in which the role of positioning by the teacher should be diverse, interactive, motivating and learner friendly in the ESL classroom. Keywords: Positioning; ESL classroom; Undergraduates