Getting Beyond Conversation Analysis: Critical and Pedagogical Implications for TESOL/Bilingual Curriculum for Diverse Learners in the Age of Globalization

Abstract

TESOL/bilingual curriculum is becoming a broader and more open field, implementing different areas and fields of study to meet and satisfy the needs of diverse ESL/bilingual learners in this age of globalization. One area of study which can be implemented and has pedagogical and critical implications is conversation analysis. The analysis of conversation can be used to educate diverse ESL learners, for example, about the sensitivity of English conversation structures and the fact that the well-organised structure of conversation does not mean that social and human interaction takes place spontaneously without the influence of participants’ feelings, thoughts and attitudes (microlevel) and socio-cultural and economic contextual factors (macro-level). Such critical pedagogical perspectives would empower learners, raise their cognitive and meta-cognitive skills, and improve their social and cultural awareness. This paper attempts to link the field of conversation analysis and the field of TESOL/bilingual education for diverse learners.

Keywords

• TESOL
• curriculum
• critical pedagogy
• globalization
• bilingualism
• language learning