Making the Case for Exploratory Practice for Tesol in the Japanese University Context

The following paper presents an analysis of two studies of Exploratory Practice (EP) in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and argues for the implementation of EP in the context of English language learning at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) and in the broader Japanese university context.We establish the definition of EP, an application of critical theory to Action Research (AR), and explore examples of AR applied through EP in the field of TESOL in recent history, keeping in mind the demands and limitations intrinsic to the teacher-researcher nexus.We then discuss potential benefits of student involvement in research as practiced in EP.Published EP within the field of TESOL is limited; nevertheless, we end with suggestions for implementing EP into TESOL course design and methodology.