The management of academic discourse acquisition

This article applies the Language Management Theory (LMT) in the context of overseas students participating in university study in an English-speaking context and who are developing their academic discourse while at the same time undertaking disciplinary studies. It draws upon data from a number of previous studies and examines central aspects of the theory, including kinds of management, stages of the management process, and simple and organized management, showing how the latter are sometimes interconnected in various ways. In the article, I consider issues relating to the start of the management process and analyze how power is exercised and by whom in these contact situations. Finally, consideration is given to methodological procedures which help us to identify the occurrence of management, in particular, follow-up (stimulated recall) interviews and interaction interviews.