Research/Report
Author(s): Maricel G. Santos, San Francisco State University
If we ask adult English language learners what their goals are for learning English, they will tell you what they want to do with English, such as to get a better job, to be able to speak for themselves at the doctor’s office, to be able to take care of their family’s health needs. Similarly, if we ask patients from linguistically minoritized backgrounds what their health goals are, they will focus on how they want to feel and what they’ll be able to do as a patient. With this Forum essay, the author invites much needed dialogue—with adult English language educators, adult learners, and health practitioners—about the way we think about “good language learners,” “good patients,” and language. She also highlights key points of overlap and divergence in debates about “good language learners” and “good patients.”