Ethnography in TESOL

Abstract Contemporary research in TESOL spans a range of ethnographic approaches from ethnography of communication and language socialization to narrative inquiry, critical ethnography, autoethnography, and digital ethnography. The foci of ethnographic work have evolved from earlier work focusing on interactional approaches that examined how L2 learners acquire the sociolinguistic rules of language use to studies centering on the identities of learners and teachers. The article considers how studies published in TESOL Quarterly over 60 years represent the approaches, trends, and impact of ethnography on scholarship in the field. Two examples of ethnographic studies appearing in TQ are discussed in detail. Some researcher tasks and future directions for ethnography in TESOL are considered.