3 The struggle to belong: individual language learners in Situated Learning Theory

The first part of the book examines theoretical tensions between the social and the individual in their approaches. In this chapter the author first describes the theory, demonstrating in the process how SLT accounts for the relationship between individuals and the communities in which they learn. The second part of the chapter will draw more widely on studies of situated learning to reflect on what the theory tells us about the sub-themes of this book: identity, agency and autonomy in language learning. The author concludes by assessing some of the strengths and weaknesses of the theory for understanding the Applied Linguistic individual.