Home Department: English (English Applied Linguistics)
SLAT Areas of Specialization: Instructional Dimensions of L2 Learning, Sociocultural Dimensions of L2 Learning
M'Balia Thomas, a SLAT graduate (2014), is an Associate Professor in the English Applied Linguistics Program in the Department of English. Dr. Thomas investigates the linguistic injustices committed against "non-native" and "non-standard" speakers of American English and the everyday creative practices these speakers adopt to resist and address linguistic injustices. Her research draws upon a variety of qualitative research methods, including thematic, discourse, conversation, narrative, rhetorical-stylistics, text world theory, and corpus-based analyses. Through the study of written/spoken language - including the language of fictional learners and teachers - her work demonstrates that it is possible to gain insight into learning, teaching, and assessment and the ideologies that shape and impede each. Dr. Thomas's publications have appeared in Qualitative Inquiry, Teaching & Teacher Education, Studying Teacher Education, Teaching & Learning Inquiry, Narrative Inquiry and Journal of Contemplative Inquiry.