Much of social research in language learning in the past twenty years has been devoted to explore issues of identity construction and its sociological implications in terms of mobility and inclusiveness. There are a large number of studies on the areas of culture and identity, and how they relate to the investment and empowerment of language…

Identities are dynamic, constantly shifting processes of self-understanding mediated by local and institutional repertoires, behaviors, resources and enacted through one's positioning in practice. This definition considers identities as both ideas, as well as actions in terms of how the learner becomes a participant in activities. A tension in…

There has been increasing attention given to the notion that international education consists of non-linear and multi-directional transmissive exchanges between existing institutional academic conditions and international students. Despite the role of international students' agency being paramount, there is a dearth of research on the…

Recent research suggests that language use outside the classroom is vital for students who want to reach high levels of proficiency and that a balance between classroom and out-of-class learning is important (Lai, 2015). This is all the more so for students of English in Australia, where there is often a strong expectation that students will be…

This is a response to Liggett's (2014) call to implement "deliberate democracy" in English language education classrooms. While the concept of participating in deliberate democracy is a solid ideal and worthy of pursuit, I present questions and scenarios that illustrate the complicated nature of the tasks. By sharing my…

While the existing literature has documented the positive impact of new discourses and interventions on nonnative English speaker (NNES) graduate students through Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)-related courses (Brutt-Griffler & Samimy, 1999; Kamhi-Stein, 1999; Pavlenko, 2003), long-term effects of those interventions have…