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Esaú Israel Bustamante Martínez, a student in the MAT TESOL program at Salem State, will be graduating this December. For his final thesis, Bustamante Martínez focused on the English language ideologies in ELT. Specifically on practices in Oaxaca, Mexico, Bustamante Martínez’s hometown.

Bustamante Martínez first read about this topic in his sociolinguistics course during his second year at SSU and became very interested in the social and cultural dimensions that language can have. So, he decided to dive deeper and began researching the topic for his final thesis.

Bustamante Martínez consulted with Dr. Gonzalez, his thesis advisor, to choose the best methodology for his research, and together they decided on a phenomenological approach. Bustamante Martínez conducted interviews with three English teachers and an English language coordinator from Oaxaca, Mexico, in order to get an understanding of the practices of English language teaching in Oaxaca.

Bustamante Martínez was also invited to give a presentation of his thesis on November 4th, 2021 with other teachers both from Salem State, but also from surrounding universities, which allowed him to share his findings. “It was very important for me to share my research,” Bustamante Martínez said. “But at the same time, it was very meaningful to have questions that make me think of some other areas that I can continue researching in the future.”

Bustamante Martínez says he is still interested in his topic, and based on his research, he feels there is a lot of room for further exploration in English language ideologies. While Bustamante Martínez intends to teach, he also hopes to continue his research and apply for a Ph.D. program in his field.

Bustamante Martínez says the environment as well as the professors at Salem State played a huge role in his decision to continue his education. When speaking of the English Department at SSU, he says, “I think they prepare students to become teachers in the future, but also to be culturally aware. SSU helped me to think and care about people, especially those who are underrepresented or don’t have the same educational opportunities. All the courses help you to reflect on how you can improve other people’s lives. They gave me the foundation to pursue my studies further.”

*Shortly after the interview with the CRCA, Bustamante Martínez learned that his proposal to present his research at the Master's Student Forum of the TESOL International Convention was accepted, and he will be attending and presenting at the event in Pittsburgh in March of 2022.*

Congratulations Esaú Israel Bustamante Martínez!

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