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The BC TEAL Journal continues to serve as an open-access peer-reviewed publication for scholar-practitioners in the field of English as an additional language (EAL) teaching and learning. This editorial affirms the multiple possibilities that exist within the scholar-practitioner identity and outlines key habits of mind that define a stance bringing together theory, research, and practice to strengthen teaching and learning. The current issue of the journal offers five examples of scholar-practitionership on topics related to LGBTQ+ representation in teaching materials, the transition from face-to-face to online learning, English for academic purposes (EAP) student presentation skills development, key issues in classroom language education research, and EAP curriculum intercultural communicative competence learning outcomes. The editorial ends with an invitation for readers to live within the hyphen of scholar-practitionership and offers support to contributing back to the field through publishing in the BC TEAL Journal.

The BC TEAL Journal continues to strengthen the field of English as an additional language (EAL) teaching and learning as a space for authors, reviewers, editors, and readers to come together in ways that underscore the knowledge creation, theory building, and educational innovation taking place in EAL teaching and learning in British Columbia and the wider world. Taking the time to define epistemology as it relates to EAL teaching and learning, this editorial outlines how the articles in the current issue of the journal support that space. There are five articles in this issue spanning post-secondary and adult contexts. With topics related to testing, teaching methods, lesson planning, comparative education, and literacy education, the value of the journal as a venue for the dissemination of new knowledge is much in evidence.

This editorial celebrates the longest issue of the BC TEAL Journal published to date, with nine articles covering 141 pages and reflecting the multiple settings and contexts of the journal’s readership. It also conceptualizes the field of English as an additional language (EAL) teaching and learning as the bringing together of applied linguistics and education to highlight the nexus of scholarship and practice and the positive impact this connection can make on transforming EAL teaching and learning. With this understanding, the editorial describes three major themes in the current issue related to identity, additional language writing, and post-secondary EAL supports. These themes, along with the journal’s growing readership and meaningful volunteer opportunities, are offered as evidence of the journal’s dedication to supporting BC TEAL’s mission and strengthening the field of EAL teaching and learning.

This editorial marks the fifth anniversary of the BC TEAL Journal. Remaining committed to free and open access scholarly publishing that draws connections to English as an additional language (EAL) teaching and learning in British Columbia, the journal has met a number of important milestones over the past five years. These milestones include bringing together the large number of people involved in producing each issue of the journal, reaching a wide audience of readers, being listed in a range of scholarly databases and indexes, assigning digital object identifiers (DOIs) to each article and issue, and joining the respected ranks of other important open access journals in the field of EAL teaching and learning. The editorial also outlines the key themes in the current issue related to K–12 contexts, English for academic purposes (EAP), language instruction to newcomers, workplace English, research methods, and critical whiteness studies. Finally, the editorial concludes with a recognition of the challenging times EAL teaching and learning faces and an expression of gratitude to everyone in the BC TEAL Journal community.

This editorial explores the underlying reason for the journal and articulates a stance that promotes scholarship as a shared endeavour of everyone in the field of English as an additional language teaching and learning. It further offers a definition of a scholar-practitioner that underscores professional growth, content and pedagogical knowledge, articulated language, and connections between teaching and research. The six articles in the current issue are summarized in three groups related to higher education and English for academic purposes, English language proficiency testing and student success, and TESOL certificate and graduate student experiences.

This editorial defines the concept of free and open access to scholarly knowledge and how the BC TEAL Journal embodies that definition. It further relates the role of a provincial English language teaching organization and its role in supporting local knowledge creation and dissemination. Finally, the editorial introduces the articles and book reviews in the 2017 issue and encourages readers to support the journal through volunteering as a peer reviewer or submitting an article for publication.

This editorial introduces the inaugural issue of the BC TEAL Journal. The journal is the official peer-reviewed scholarly publication of the association of British Columbia Teachers of English as an Additional Language (BC TEAL), and the goal of the journal is to publish articles that explicitly reflect and relate to the varying contexts and settings of the BC TEAL membership. The journal is committed to being open access, with its articles freely available to the public.