Critical Questions in English for Academic Purposes

Language teacher education (LTE) represents a dynamic maelstrom of personal beliefs, historical forces, and sociopolitical dynamics, which are further intensified through constant social interaction. The notion of teacher identity has long been an interest in LTE. Studies of conflicting and complementary perceptions of teachers’ roles, of agency, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teacher professionalism, collegiality, as well as investigations into the life-world of the EAP teacher, would be certain to make an impact among educators. A wider view of how EAP has reached its current condition would help to contextualize it within the broader social, political, and economic currents affecting the Western University as a social institution. This sort of study could be carried out as a case study of one particular EAP program and would begin as a historical study of EAP at that university, which would shed light on its current position within the institution.