Human capital, social mobility, and TESOL: An interview with Peter Sayer

This interview explores the intersection of social mobility and inequalities in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) through a dialogue with Peter Sayer, an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on the complexities of TESOL within multilingual contexts, particularly in Mexico and the Philippines. He challenges the myth of international English, questioning its role in alleviating poverty and promoting social change, and highlights the hidden curriculum in working-class schools, which emphasizes repetitive tasks to prepare students for working-class jobs. He discusses the implications of Human Capital Theory on English education, critiquing its focus on skills acquisition over social justice. Moreover, he advocates for a plurilingual approach through translanguaging, emphasizing the importance of leveraging students’ linguistic repertoires in the classroom. Peter envisions future research directions in TESOL to be grounded in practice, aiming to bridge theory and practice while addressing the challenge of making English education more relevant and accessible to students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.