Bringing Interactional Identities into the Study of Classroom Interaction in ELT Education

Abstract

This theoretical-review paper presents the construct of interactional identities as part of the study of classroom interaction in English language teaching education. The paper defines interactional identities from social studies and in the field of English language teaching. By listing studies on the matter, the relationship of this construct with classroom interaction is presented from global and local perspectives. Three reasons for studying interactional identities in the ELT field are discussed in the final part of the paper whose conclusions invite to incorporate this construct into de study of what teachers are and do for language learning and use in classroom interaction in English language teaching education.

Inquiring into the Coloniality of Knowledge, Power, and Being in EFL Textbooks

“…English textbooks have been instrumentalised by focusing on the mechanical use of grammar structures (Kramsch, 1993;Masuhara, Hann, Yi & Tomlinson, 2008;Núñez-Pardo, 2018a, 2018bNúñez, Téllez & Castellanos, 2013;Pennycook, 1994;Phillipson, 2012;Prabhu, 1987;Pulverness, 2013;Rico, 2012;Tomlinson, 2013). They have also been developed under foreign methodologies that disregard the particularities of local contexts where English is learnt and taught (Allwright, 1981;Canagarajah, 2002Canagarajah, , 2005Canagarajah, , 2010Giroux & Simon, 1988;Kumaravadivelu, 2014;Núñez-Pardo, 2018a, 2020Prabhu, 1987Prabhu, , 1990Waters, 2009). Thence, EFL textbooks have turned the teacher's role into a routine and repetitive one (Fernández-Reiris, 2006;Kincheloe & McLaren, 2005;Littlejohn, 2012;Prabhu, 1987), which results in a conformist way of action (De Sousa, 2010a).…”

“…EFL textbooks are associated with the economic, political, and commercial interests of the publishing industry (Álvarez, 2008;Apple, 1992;Canagarajah 2002;Cárdenas, González & Álvarez, 2010;Giroux, 2001;González, 2010González, , 2012Gray, 2013;Kumaravadivelu, 2014;Littlejohn, 2012;Núñez-Pardo, 2018a, 2020a, 2020bNúñez-Pardo-& Téllez-Téllez, 2018, 2020Núñez et al, 2013;Pennycook, 1998;Phillipson, 2012;Rico, 2012;Usma, 2009). This imposes upon users the type of English that is taught, the type of content to be explored, the type of methodologies to be used, and even the type of learning activities and strategies to be proposed.…”

Inquiring into the Coloniality of Knowledge, Power, and Being in EFL Textbooks

“…English textbooks have been instrumentalised by focusing on the mechanical use of grammar structures (Kramsch, 1993;Masuhara, Hann, Yi & Tomlinson, 2008;Núñez-Pardo, 2018a, 2018bNúñez, Téllez & Castellanos, 2013;Pennycook, 1994;Phillipson, 2012;Prabhu, 1987;Pulverness, 2013;Rico, 2012;Tomlinson, 2013). They have also been developed under foreign methodologies that disregard the particularities of local contexts where English is learnt and taught (Allwright, 1981;Canagarajah, 2002Canagarajah, , 2005Canagarajah, , 2010Giroux, 1988;Giroux & Simon, 1988;Kumaravadivelu, 2014;Núñez-Pardo, 2018a, 2020Prabhu, 1987Prabhu, , 1990Waters, 2009). Thence, EFL textbooks have turned the teacher's role into a routine and repetitive one (Fernández-Reiris, 2006;Kincheloe & McLaren, 2005;Littlejohn, 2012;Prabhu, 1987), which results in a conformist way of action (De Sousa, 2010a).…”

“…EFL textbooks are associated with the economic, political, and commercial interests of the publishing industry (Álvarez, 2008;Apple, 1992;Canagarajah 2002;Cárdenas, González & Álvarez, 2010;Giroux, 2001;González, 2010González, , 2012Gray, 2013;Kumaravadivelu, 2014;Littlejohn, 2012;Núñez-Pardo, 2018a, 2020a, 2020bNúñez-Pardo-& Téllez-Téllez, 2018, 2020Núñez et al, 2013;Pennycook, 1998;Phillipson, 2012;Rico, 2012;Usma, 2009). This imposes upon users the type of English that is taught, the type of content to be explored, the type of methodologies to be used, and even the type of learning activities and strategies to be proposed.…”

Pre-Service English Language Teachers’ Levels of Reflectivity during the Process of Identity Construction in Pedagogical Practicum: A Snowball?

“…Language teachers have the possibility to shape their identities in those changes. Therefore, social and personal interactions occupy an important place in helping teachers develop their identity as language teachers (Glotova & Wilhelm, 2014;Lucero, 2020). Besides, the emotional part complements the teacher's identity.…”