摘要:ThepurposeofthispaperistoanalyzethedeterminantsofthecurrentstateoftheELTfieldinMexicancontexts.Inparticular,itexploresthewaysinwhichdiversesocialandpoliticalfactorshamperthesuccessfulimplementationofnationalandinstitutionalELTpolicies. Drawing on a case study carried out throughout a period of five years, thepaper uses three situations to illustrate the ways in which institutional efforts topromote English languageteaching aredeviatedatsomepointintheirdevelopmentalstages. The paper concludes by emphasizing the value of research to raise ELTpractitioners'awarenessofthechallengesthattheprofessionfacesandproposingwaysofovercomingthem