Ebook: Encyclopedia of Language and Education: Research Methods in Language and Education

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION This is one of eight volumes of the Encyclopedia of Language and Educa­ tion published by Kluwer Academic. The publication of this work signals the maturity of the field of 'language and education' as an international and interdisciplinary field of significance and cohesion. These volumes confirm that 'language and education' is much more than the preserve of any single discipline. In designing these volumes, we have tried to recog­ nise the diversity of the field in our selection of contributors and in our choice of topics. The contributors come from every continent and from more than 40 countries. Their reviews discuss language and education issues affecting every country in the world. We have also tried to recognise the diverse interdisciplinary nature of 'language and education' in the selection of the editorial personnel them­ selves. The major academic interests of the volume editors confirm this. As principal volume editor for Volume 1, Ruth Wodak has interests in critical linguistics, sociology of language, and language policy. For Vol­ ume 2, Viv Edwards has interests in policy and practice in multilingual classrooms and the sociology of language. For Volume 3, Bronwyn Davies has interests in the social psychology of language, the sociology of lan­ guage, and interdisciplinary studies. For Volume 4, Richard Tucker has interests in language theory, applied linguistics, and the implementation and evaluation of innovative language education programs.

---

The present volume seeks to enable language and education practitioners, researchers, and interested lay readers alike to get a sense of the range of issues being pursued in language and education research and the array of methods employed to do so. A major assumption of the volume is that both micro and macro perspectives and both social and linguistic levels of analysis are critical for an understanding of the interaction between language and education. It is organized in four parts, focusing in turn on language and education in relation to society, variation, culture, and interaction. The contributing scholars hail from five continents and nine countries; they represent a great diversity of linguistic, cultural, and disciplinary traditions. For all that, what is most impressive about this volume is the unity of purpose and outlook with regard to the central role of language as both vehicle and mediator of educational processes and to the need for continued and deepening research into the limits and possibilities that implies.