Areas of interest: second language pragmatics; sociocultural approaches to language learning; Concept-Based Language Instruction; language, prejudice, and offense;

Pedro A. de Lima Bastos is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Linguistics at Penn State and an experienced ELT professional. His work focuses on how language learners develop pragmatic abilities, how prejudice and offense intersect with language learning, and how learners can claim more powerful identities as English speakers. Drawing on Vygotskyan Sociocultural Theory, his current research examines whether and how STEM graduate students who use English as an additional language can develop conceptual understanding of gendered microaggressions.