This study is part of a project that seeks to document and evaluate the effects of instructions of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) on Chinese university students' awareness level of ELF and attitudes towards English language and English learning. It anticipates to transform students' perspectives from believing in Anglo-American centricity to acknowledging the legitimacy of English varieties and embracing being multilingual ELF speakers. The intervention program was designed under Sifakis's ELF awareness framework (2019) and informed by previous empirical studies that endeavored to challenge students' assumptions shaped by native-speaker-defined English language teaching (ELT) (e.g. Fang & Ren, 2018; Galloway, 2017; Wang, 2015).
As mentioned in the abstract, the study employed pre- and post-intervention surveys. Both quantitative and qualitative data revealed that the belief of Anglo-American English being the standard English was challenged. Based on the interview data, most students after the intervention realized that there was no standard English accent. Many of them also expressed an increased awareness of the legitimate diversity in English language and changed view towards so-called non-standard accents, recognizing their relevance to convey local culture and identity. However, some attitudes remained unchanged. For example, students still preferred the Anglo-American orientation to teaching models. Some students explained that this persistence was shaped by societal level perceptions of a successful learner of English.
In the interview, students were invited to share what content/activities in the intervention lead to changes in perceptions. Four themes were identified. Explicit instructions of the sociolinguistic reality updated their knowledge of English language, which include the non-existence of an institutionally established standard accent, statistics regarding English language speakers' profile, and diversity in spoken English across the world and within an English-speaking country. Class activities such as group discussions provided opportunities for students to engage in real English communications, from which some realized their Chinese-accented English can actually function well. Debates, another type of activities, prompted students to reflect on related topics, e.g. the prevalence of English in China, pushing them to consider the issue more thoroughly and critically. Materials that presented successful and credible ELF models provoked learners to re-examine their learning goals. Online ELF practice provided opportunities to students to communicate with non-native speakers, the successful experience of which challenged their stereotypical views on non-native speakers and prompted students to question the necessity of imitating so-called standard accents.
Fang, F., & Ren, W. (2018). Developing students' awareness of Global Englishes. ELT Journal, 72(4), 384-394. doi:10.1093/elt/ccy012
Galloway, N. (2017). Global Englishes and change in English language teaching: Attitudes and impact: Routledge.
Wang, Y. (2015). Language awareness and ELF perceptions of Chinese university students. In International Perspectives on English as a Lingua Franca (pp. 96-116): Springer.
