2025/02/25 by Claudia Andreani, Jim McKinley · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning #International Student and Expatriate Challenges #Second Language Learning and Teaching
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/elt/ccaf010
openalex publication_date 2025/02/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/10
Abstract English Language Teaching (ELT) materials often assign prominence to British English and General American English to the detriment of other varieties, thus promoting native-like competence as a goal for English language learners. Scholars have called for a reconceptualisation of ELT by correlating English varieties with globalisation within the Global Englishes (GE) paradigm. The present mixed-methods study, which engaged ninety-six EFL senior secondary school students in Italy who prepared a presentation of a variety of English of their choice, examined how this task influenced their attitudes to the diversity of English. Data were collected through pre- and post-tests and solicited journals and showed the participants’ preference for a GE-oriented pedagogy, despite the persistence of a more conventional attitude towards British and American English, which may derive from their exam-oriented culture. Results indicate that a GE-oriented pedagogy is likely to foster learners’ critical understanding of language variation and challenge cultural stereotypes.