Understanding the veracities of psychosocioethnic influences in language education: A critical review

Abstract

The present research is an attempt to understand the interdisciplinary study of language education through the interrelated concepts of applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, communication studies, sociocultural anthropology, cognitive and behavioural psychology. Second language pedagogy witnessed significant changes in the twentieth century as the English Language Teaching (ELT) mainstream evolves with the interdisciplinary concepts of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Second Language Learning (SLL) and language use. Drawing from a wide range of theoretical and empirical sources, the paper traces the historical development of language teaching approaches that view language both as a mental faculty and a social tool for communication. The review highlights how cognitive and behaviorist theories intersect with socioethnic factors in shaping language pedagogy, particularly in multilingual and multicultural contexts. Findings suggest that effective language education must integrate psychological understanding with sociocultural awareness to promote meaningful language use. The paper concludes by identifying key challenges and directions for future interdisciplinary research in SLA, especially in increasingly diverse educational environments.