Representations and misrepresentations of positivism within TESOL literature as analysed by a postpositivist.

Abstract Within the field of SLA and TESOL the philosophical position of positivism has become unpopular and is often heavily criticised, especially by those espousing alternative epistemological perspectives. However what exactly is being attacked is not always clear as positivism is used to represent a number of distinct philosophies which are not always clearly distinguished. Many of the older types of positivism now have few supporters, but the newest variety postpositivism has still has active support, especially amongst natural scientists. Some critics within TESOL though still seemingly base their arguments against the older, 'dead' versions. This paper will investigate the way the positivism is presented in three recent works: Thornbury's (2012) F is for Facts, Johnson's (2009) Second Language Teacher Education: A Sociocultural Perspective and Kumaravadivalu's (2006) Understanding Language Teaching: From Method to Postmethod. Firstly the way in which each presents the topic of positivism will be scrutinized, then the key ideas presented will be analysed from a postpositivist perspective. Some concluding remarks will be made regarding the ways in which positivism can be better presented in such works, especially to those unfamiliar with the arguments