This article presents the use of conversation analysis (CA) in the context of sociocultural theory (SCT) driven research on L2 development, or CA-for-SCT. I focus specifically on the CA concept of action ascription as it applies to understanding the nature of mediation in interaction. I begin with an overview of the concept of action ascription…

Although often seen as places of culture, cultivation and creativity, language courses borrow the language of creativity for test-centered practices. Research in sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology has long recognized language courses as sites for the legitimation of neoliberal ideals that emphasize language as global, individual, and…

This article traces the intellectual roots and developments of the notion of competence in second language (L2) teaching and research. Since L2 teaching and research invariably concern competence of some sort (linguistic, communicative, interactional, or otherwise), there have been countless attempts to define competence from diverse theoretical…

In the twenty-first-century working professionals need to possess strong Interactional Competence to handle professional communication in intercultural contexts (PCIC). However, the relationship among the three PCIC constituents -- culture, workplace and interaction -- is undertheorized in current research. This leaves PCIC practitioners…

With the goal of contributing to ongoing efforts to decolonize ELT, this article addresses the potential of microanalytic research into classroom interaction in disrupting hegemonic forces of coloniality. Microanalytic research provides a step-by-step, minute examination of interactional discourse, and it has the capacity to reveal gaps between…

This paper addresses the intersection of testing and policy, situating test-driven impact and validation within the context of policy-led educational reform in Korea. I will briefly review the existing validation models. Then, arguing for an expansion of the conventional conceptualization of consequential validity research, I use Fairclough's…

Referential expressions (REs) have been investigated in L2 English but to date there is no single study that systematically and simultaneously analyzes the development and acquisition of the multiple factors that constrain the choice of REs in natural discourse production. We investigate L1 Spanish-L2 English learners across three proficiency…

Taking a multi-level perspective on language-in-public-space policy, this study investigates the way Tunisia's dominant languages are dealt with in three independent but interrelated activities of language policy: official texts, public talk, and the actual practices of business actors in five commercial districts in metropolitan Tunis. Detailed…

Collaboration is an aspect of engagement that focuses on learning through group work and having discussions with other learners. Active learning approaches are a way to foster collaborative engagement because they provide more opportunities for interaction among learners. Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), a socially mediated active…

Study abroad homestays are generally assumed to provide visitors with opportunities to learn language 'in the wild' by participating in the host family's everyday life. Ultimately such participation is accomplished via individual episodes of interaction as the visitor is socialized into the family's mundane routines and rituals. Building on…

In this article the researchers explain a concept that they have termed "critical biliteracy instruction." Utilizing a sociocultural approach to literacy and language learning, they examine discourse theory and the four resources model (Freebody & Luke, 1990) to support the approaches they describe. Then they explore research-based…

Recent studies indicate that many foreign students now choose to go to the Philippines for university and language education. In this paper, we examine how Filipino Teachers' English (FTE) is represented on English language schools' webpages to market the Philippines as an alternative destination for acquiring "good" English among…

Modern Foreign Language (MFL) education has long been described as being 'in crisis' by virtue of a long decline in the numbers of students being entered for exams at age 16 and 18. Whilst this decline is generally attributed to policy, harsh grading and the rise of global English, this paper challenges this view by positioning the decline at the…

Classroom discourse is an interdisciplinary area of study that contributes to multiple domains of knowledge, including pedagogy, teacher training, second language acquisition, and communities of practice, to name a few. As classroom discourse continues to grow and evolve, so too have the approaches used by scholars to investigate the discourse in…

In this study, Corpus Linguistics (CL) and Conversation Analysis (CA) is discussed as methods of data analysis. Both CL as a quantitative tool and CA as a qualitative tool have their own strengths and weaknesses for applied linguistics studies. So, the tenets of each view are evaluated and the similarities and differences between them are…