ELF-awareness and Teachers' Attitudes Towards Classroom Materials' Evaluation: A mini-survey results

Abstract

The present article focuses on the impact of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) research on English language pedagogy in relation to teaching materials and, more specifically, the way culture and different varieties of English are included in them. Moving beyond the traditional native speaker norm-based approach to teaching English requires a substantial reassessment and rethinking of teachers' current beliefs, assumptions and classroom practices. The author seeks to investigate teachers' prevailing attitudes towards this development. The first part of the paper discusses some vital theoretical issues concerning ELF and their implications for teaching English with special attention paid to classroom materials. The concept of ELF-aware teaching is also introduced. The findings of the empirical study which aimed at investigating whether English language teachers in the Polish context follow ELF-aware pedagogy based on cultural diversity are presented then. More specifically, the respondents' attitudes towards ELT materials embracing various cultures and accents are discussed.