Integrating Social Justice Curricula into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Instruction

Abstract

This study responds to a gap identified in the literature regarding the discussion of social justice issues including racism in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages or TESOL (Cho, 2016; Guerrettaz & Zahler, 2017; Kubota & Lin, 2006) and the ways in which ESOL instructors both conceive of Social Justice Pedagogy (SJP) and engage with topics such as the impact of discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, class, privilege, and language on individuals’ experiences and opportunities. This study followed three white university ESOL instructors in an EAP program in a major metropolitan area on the East Coast and sought to answer the following questions: How do these instructors conceive of Social Justice Pedagogy? In what ways does their “whiteness” enter into the classroom when discussing racial and social justice issues? What practical lessons that can be gleaned from these instructors’ practices for TESOL educators who seek to engage in SJP? This semester-long qualitative study employed classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with teachers and students, and document review of syllabi, assignments, and classroom resources. A holistic framework integrating DiAngelo’s (2018) concept of white fragility, Kelly’s (1986) orientations towards teacher neutrality, and Banks’ (2004a) conception of democratic education shed light on instructors’ positions towards SJP and their impact on the classroom interactions that occurred. Findings highlight that instructors’ assumptions about teacher neutrality and what comprises a democratic education influenced their teaching about and for social justice concerns. Implications for practice and research are discussed.