Ethnomethodology is a qualitative research methodology developed as an alternative possibility for social scientists investigating the different ways in which reality is socially constructed. For theorists and researchers of language acquisition and language use in educational settings, ethnomethodology makes it possible to examine social discourse and participation structures in and out of school that are tied to success or failure in language learning. As Gumperz explains, with the help of ethnomethodology we study how knowledge is acquired, what role differences in home and ethnic background play in the acquisition process, and how the acquisition process interacts with evaluational progress and the child's motivation to learn.