Peer reviewed
Direct linkERIC Number: EJ1472351
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1056-7941
EISSN: EISSN-1949-3533
Available Date: 2025-03-17
Neoliberal Governments, ESOL Provision and Wider Implications
TESOL Journal, v16 n2 e70035 2025
This article questions the perceived optimism regarding a new centrist left-wing 'United Kingdom (UK) government' stance on English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision. It examines the impact of neoliberal policies, particularly those of the New Labour government (1997-2010), and compares them with previous/subsequent Conservative governments (1979-1997; 2010-2024). Through secondary analysis, this paper illustrates how successive governments have viewed ESOL as a tool of immigration control, cutting funding access and escalating educational opportunity disparities, especially for ESOL learners. Additionally, rising global populism further threatens equitable ESOL provision through exclusionary policies.
Descriptors: Neoliberalism, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Immigration, Public Policy, Political Attitudes, Equal Education, Educational Policy, Foreign Countries, Educational History, Policy Analysis, Financial Support, Educational Opportunities, Barriers
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
