State-of-the-Art Review of the Research Paradigms in English Language Policy and Education

Abstract

Language policy and planning (LPP) as a field has grown enormously in the past six decades. Multiple paradigms, approaches, methodologies, and methods have been adopted to study language policies at the macro, meso, and micro levels. This article reviews the field and organizes research trends into four paradigms—neoclassical, critical, sociocultural, and transformative—and focuses on examples of how each has addressed the global spread of English in TESOL research. Paradigms guide all aspects of the research project, from epistemological questions concerning how we ask and answer research questions to theoretical problems concerning what counts as a language policy, to practical methodological considerations like how to collect and analyze data. We conclude the article with proposals for the future direction of LPP research in TESOL and an annotated list of readings.