The Case of TESOL in Applied Linguistics

Jun Liu; Rining Wei

doi:10.53941/sala.2026.100002

Abstract

This paper considers TESOL as a case of applying applied linguistics to identify some tensions and the increasingly recognized complexities in past and current developments. Against a brief historical background of applied linguistics and the evolution of TESOL as a profession and as a focus for research, the paper makes consistent links with education. It considers some critical features of TESOL pedagogy, intertwined with applied linguistics: language teaching methods, individual differences, teaching English to young learners, the relationship with multilingualism, and using English as medium of instruction. These are also TESOL research areas as are recent developments for research ethics and uses of AI, among other future directions.

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