English Language Teaching in its Social Context offers sociolinguistic, ethnographic, and social-psychological perspectives on TESOL teaching and learning and introduces the relevant literature on second language acquisition. Together with its companion volumes, it presents English language teaching in a variety of specific institutional, geographic and cultural contexts.

The articles - a range of seminal and specially commissioned pieces - have been carefully chosen to present four major principles of English language teaching:

* they focus on the roles played by teachers and learners

* recognise the individuality of language learners

* support teachers in the provision of active guidance for students' learning

* examine both positive and negative patterns of interaction between learners and teachers.

This Reader offers people unfamiliar with research in this field an overall impression of English language teaching issues while allowing the more experienced reader the opportunity to relate his or her own experiences to the theories presented.