ethnography
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- PaperERIC — ELT & TESOL1 Jan 2026
Ethnography in TESOL
Peter Sayer
This article reviews the evolution of ethnographic approaches in TESOL research over 60 years, from interactional studies focusing on sociolinguistic rules to identity-centered research. It discusses key examples from TESOL Quarterly and outlines future directions for ethnography in the field.
Original abstract
Contemporary research in TESOL spans a range of ethnographic approaches from ethnography of communication and language socialization to narrative inquiry, critical ethnography, autoethnography, and digital ethnography. The foci of ethnographic work have evolved from earlier work focusing on interactional approaches that examined how L2 learners acquire the sociolinguistic rules of language use to studies centering on the identities of learners and teachers. The article considers how studies published in "TESOL Quarterly" over 60 years represent the approaches, trends, and impact of ethnography on scholarship in the field. Two examples of ethnographic studies appearing in "TQ" are discussed in detail. Some researcher tasks and future directions for ethnography in TESOL are considered.