Posted on October 2, 2025 by Katelyn Juarez
Go behind the journal to learn more about the faculty editors shaping scholarship and the people behind the pages.
Left to right: Kristen Lindahl, PhD and Bedrettin Yazan, PhD
Kristen Lindahl , PhD, Associate Dean for Strategic Partnership, Preparation and Growth; Professor, Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies and Bedrettin Yazan , PhD, Professor, Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies are the co-editors of the TESOL Journal .
TESOL Journal (TJ) is a refereed, practitioner-oriented electronic journal based on current theory and research in the field of TESOL. TJ is a forum for second and foreign language educators at all levels to engage in the ways that research and theorizing can inform, shape, and ground teaching practices and perspectives. Articles enable an active and vibrant professional dialogue about research- and theory-based practices as well as practice-oriented theorizing and research.
What drew you to become involved with the TESOL Journal?
Dr. Yazan: TESOL International Association has always been my academic “home” so serving as the editor for TESOL Journal was a natural fit with my research and professional interests.
What sets the TESOL Journal apart from others in the field?
Dr. Lindahl: TJ is distinct from other applied linguistics or education-oriented journals because of its primarily pedagogical focus. All of the empirical research we feature must have pedagogical implications and is often language classroom or teacher-based.
How do you balance your editorial responsibilities with your teaching and research?
Dr. Yazan: I budget my weekly editing time on Thursday afternoons when I meet with our editorial assistant here at UT San Antonio to review new submissions and manage those under review. I see this as part of my service workload responsibilities. Luckily, my teaching, research and editing activities often align and intersect, so they each enrich the other.
What advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a journal editor or joining an editorial board?
Dr. Lindahl: I would encourage anyone interested in becoming a journal editor or joining an editorial board to engage with journals that really are a match for the work that they do, otherwise it is very challenging to balance manuscripts that could be outside your area of expertise. I’d first review articles for multiple journals, and then if you find that you’re reviewing often for one or two publications, join the editorial board first. Then, if any associate editor positions become available, you will already be familiar with the journal’s scope, readership and processes.
If you could have dinner with any scholar –living or dead – who would it be and why?
Dr. Yazan: Jan Blommaert, who was a sociolinguist and anthropologist
Dr. Lindahl: Leanne Hinton for her work on indigenous language revitalization/policy and Sonia Nieto for her work on teacher education
Do you have a favorite “academic guilty pleasure”?
Dr. Yazan: Finding people’s APA errors
Dr. Lindahl: Keeping my teaching materials and books for decades
What is something non-academic that you are currently obsessed with?
Dr. Yazan: Pickleball
Dr. Lindahl: I just started watching Stranger Things with my son. So creepy!
If you weren’t in academia, what do you think you’d be doing instead?
Dr. Yazan: Gardening, specifically growing okra and avocado
Dr. Lindahl: Probably law or skiing somewhere
— Katelyn Juarez
