Global Englishes Language Teaching: Bottom‐up Curriculum Implementation

Abstract

In today's globalised world, the needs of English language learners have changed, particularly those learning to use the English language as a lingua franca. Growing research showcasing the global use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), the creativity of ELF users, and the diverse ways in which they negotiate successful communication in multilingual encounters has numerous implications for the field of TESOL. This article reports on a study with preservice and in‐service TESOL practitioners taking a Global Englishes for Language Teaching (GELT) option course in a 1‐year Master's in TESOL programme at a Russell Group university in the United Kingdom. The study explores attitudes towards GELT but also towards the proposals for, and barriers to, curriculum innovation as well as factors influencing such attitudes. Interviews (n = 21) and questionnaires (n = 47) revealed that attitudes remain norm bound, yet the study revealed a positive orientation towards GELT and provided insights into the feasibility of GELT‐related curriculum innovation and teacher education syllabus design. The study calls for more research with preservice and in‐service TESOL practitioners at different stages of the innovation process to ensure successful and sustainable GELT curricular innovation.

Global Englishes and language teaching: A review of pedagogical research

“…Four of these studies were conducted in Anglophone contexts. Two (Cameron & Galloway, 2019; Galloway & Numajiri, 2020) were conducted with pre- and in-service teachers (mostly pre-service) on a UK-based master's programme and the other two Anglophone studies (Ates, Eslami, & Wright, 2015; Eslami, Moody, & Pashmforoosh, 2019) were conducted in the US, responding to the changing demographics in native English-speaking classrooms as a result of increased migration. The only other contexts included in this group are Italy (Vettorel & Corrizzato, 2016), Indonesia (Zacharias, 2016), Korea (Love, 2013), Thailand (Prabjandee, 2020), and Turkey (Sifakis & Bayyurt, 2015; Biricik Deniz, Özkan, & Bayyurt, 2020).…”

“…Galloway and Numajiri (2020) investigated pre- and in-service TESOL practitioners taking a GELT elective course in a one-year master's in TESOL programme in the UK. They used interviews ( n = 21) and questionnaires ( n = 47) at the start of the course to investigate attitudes towards the GELT framework, and GELT proposals for, and barriers to, curriculum innovation, as well as factors influencing such attitudes.…”

“…Teachers’ attitudes are central to innovation uptake, and while attitudinal studies are certainly important, studies such as Zacharias (2016) that focus on teacher identity are also welcome. However, despite increased proposals from scholars to raise teachers’ awareness, and the increased presence of postgraduate TESOL and applied linguistics programmes (Galloway & Numajiri, 2020), it would appear that research on innovation in teacher education research is still in a state of infancy. The amount of published research in this area in indexed journals is scant, although it should be acknowledged that several studies have been reported in book chapters and therefore not included in this review.…”

“…The studies indicate that participants, albeit often conflicted, are generally supportive of change (Sifakis & Bayyurt, 2015, p. 2018), yet there is no research on what happens when they enter or return to the classroom. In Vettorel and Corrizzato (2016), Cameron and Galloway (2019), and Galloway and Numajiri (2020), barriers to innovation were explored and it is hoped that more research will explore the feasibility of curricular innovation in a range of teaching contexts.…”

“…Researchers in these fields highlight the pluricentricity of English use and showcase how it is adapted and used alongside other languages. ‘Multilingualism, it seems, is the topic du jour – at least in critical applied linguistics’ (May, 2014, p. 1), and Global Englishes research is part of this movement (Rose & Galloway, 2019), where ‘multilingualism has been at the forefront of recent discussions’ that challenge prevailing conceptualizations of second language acquisition (SLA) within the wider field (Galloway & Numajiri, 2020, p. 121). Thus ‘Global Englishes’ consolidates work in these related fields; it also unites similar movements in SLA, such as translanguaging and the multilingual turn.…”