Description
Census data indicate that the number of non-English speaking immigrants in the United States is increasing rapidly each year. For most of these immigrants, learning English is the most important first step in order to be able to compete for higher skilled, higher paying jobs. English competency is also essential for them to become members of the new society since they also learn sociocultural knowledge, such as norms and values of the new society, through learning the new language. This process makes language a powerful medium for socialization through a process called language socialization. This thesis investigates the language socialization for non-English speaking adult immigrant students based on data collected within one ESL classroom. Close examination of interaction in this ESL classroom reveals that issues closely related to language socialization such as identity, ideology, and power relations are created through interaction between the teacher and students. The data thus suggest that sociocultural aspects of language teaching must be considered in order to provide quality education to the growing population of non-English speaking immigrants in the U.S., especially in light of their increasing demand for ESL classes and teachers.
