1,721,490 research outputs found
‘So maybe I’m a global citizen’: developing intercultural citizenship in English medium education
No full textA frequently stated aim of the increasing internationalisation of higher education (HE) is the incorporation of intercultural elements. This has recently been conceptualised through the notion of intercultural citizenship with universities promising to equip graduates with the necessary knowledge and skills to engage in global workplaces and communities. However, the extent to which intercultural citizenship goes beyond promotion and marketing and is meaningfully incorporated into university curricula and teaching practices is still unclear. Most significantly, there is little evidence that students themselves are aware of, motivated by, or develop a sense of intercultural citizenship at international universities. In parallel to the expansion of internationalisation in HE has been an increase in English medium instruction (EMI) programmes. This link between the use of English and internationalisation is therefore likely to also influence perceptions of intercultural citizenship but has so far received little attention in research. To address these gaps this study investigated the perceptions and experiences of international students towards intercultural citizenship and its links to language before, during and after their study via interviews and a focus group. Findings showed intercultural citizenship was generally positively perceived and strongly linked to English, but reported development was uneven during study abroad
Intercultural citizenship and the internationalisation of higher education: the role of English language teaching
No full textThe expanding internationalisation of higher education (HE) hasresulted in the intercultural dimensions becoming a core aim of many institutions. This is frequently represented though the concept of intercultural or global citizenship with students expected to engage with academic, professional and social communities across multiple scales from the local to the global. The language though which both the internationalisation of HE and intercultural citizenships is expected to take place is often English, or more precisely ELF, epically in English medium education (EME). Therefore, given this key role for English, English language teaching (ELT) provides an ideal setting for developing intercultural citizenship education. However, at present, this is an under-researched area. To address this gap, this collection of short papers provides a snap shot of current thinking and research form ELF perspectives. We include reports on the development of intercultural citizenship through study abroad for university students from China, Japan and Thailand; the role of intercultural citizenship in pre-service teacher education in Turkey; and a discussion of the relationship between intercultural citizenship, identity, symbolic power and language in the ELT and EMI classroom
‘A more inclusive mind towards the world’: English language teaching and study abroad in China from Intercultural citizenship and English as a lingua franca perspectives
No full textWith the status of English as a global lingua franca (ELF), English is no longer the sole property of its Anglophone native English speakers (NES) problematising the current dominance of Anglophone cultures and NES in the field of English language teaching (ELT). The notion of intercultural citizenship education offers a critical alternative model in language education. To investigate how ELF, intercultural approaches and the concept of intercultural citizenship might be integrated within the field of ELT, a study was conducted in a university located in southeast China. Due to the large number of ELT learners and high degree of student mobility in China these are issue of much relevance in this setting. The research collected qualitative data through face-to-face interviews, email interviews and focus groups with students on study abroad programmes who have both ELT and first hand intercultural experiences. Many students spoke positively about aspects of intercultural citizenship, but classroom instruction offered only limited channels for students to experience and understand intercultural communication and citizenship. In contrast, most of their understanding and experiences were gained outside the classroom during study abroad. Furthermore, many students spoke about the importance of English in their development of intercultural connections and citizenship. We conclude that more in-depth and critical approaches to teaching language, culture and intercultural communication in ELT are needed which foster and cultivate students’ sense of intercultural citizenship
From English language learners to intercultural citizens: Chinese student sojourners’ development of intercultural citizenship in ELT and EMI programmes
No full textThe notion of global or intercultural citizenship has become prominent in international higher education and English medium instruction. The goal is to educate students for successful interaction in intercultural situations across multiple communities from the local to the global. However, most discussions are at the theoretical level and there is insufficient empirical evidence documenting the extent to which experiences of students in international universities actually leads to the development of intercultural citizenship. To address this gap this research explored the experiences of Chinese students (the largest group of international students in the UK and a major group of English language teaching learners) before, during and after study abroad. Data was collected from students (n = 258) via questionnaires, interviews and a focus group in the UK and China. Findings demonstrated generally positive attitudes towards intercultural citizenship and intercultural citizenship education. Furthermore, many participants reported developing an increased sense of identification with intercultural citizenship as a result of study abroad. However, understanding of intercultural citizenship was often superficial and no students reported any formal intercultural citizenship education either in preparation for study abroad or during their time in the UK. Moreover, a number of students either rejected or withdrew from the idea of developing an intercultural identity due to negative impressions of intercultural experiences. We argue that these mixed findings are unsurprising given the lack of opportunities to prepare for or reflect on intercultural experiences. Furthermore, the absence of intercultural citizenship education is a missed opportunity in English language teaching and English for academic provision
An investigation of attitudes towards English accents at a Chinese university
No full textThe English language has spread across the globe to become an international language. With the growing number of speakers of English, it has been claimed that English is no longer the sole property of its native speakers but is a global lingua franca (ELF). Under these circumstances, it is natural that various language ideologies have formed, pervaded with ideological debates. In the last two decades, scholarly research has urged reform and re-evaluation in the field of English language teaching (ELT). However, in practice, most ELT approaches remain stigmatised to the standard or ‘authentic’ native speaker English paradigm. This overlooks the fact that English is more often used by non-native speakers than native speakers. In addition, the functional role of the language is routinely ignored when it comes to the classroom practice of language teaching. As people’s attitudes towards the English language and ELT display substantial intransigence, despite the rapidly-changing linguistic realities, it is necessary to investigate how university teachers and students perceive this international language in relation to language pedagogy. Until now, research based on the ELF paradigm has been relatively rare, particularly in the Chinese context. This thesis draws upon Chinese university students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards their own and other English accents in the ELF framework. The research adopted a mixed-methods approach in order to obtain the desired level of detail. First, a questionnaire was sent to students to generate quantitative data to help understand students’ attitudes about accents more broadly. With the aim of providing rich data description, interviews and focus groups were also employed, with both student and teacher participants. From the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, the findings suggest that both student and teacher participants display complex and uncertain attitudes. In general, students did not feel satisfied with their own English accents and would like to refine them to match native speakers of English more closely, but they did not expect other people to sound native-like; this result may reflect the notion of ‘being strict with oneself while relaxed with others’ that has been identified as prevalent in Chinese culture. Teachers display two primary outlooks: on the one hand, they recognised the global spread of English and noted the importance of their own identities when using the language. On the other hand, a number of them still believed they should improve their English accents because they serve as professional pronunciation role models to students. A key finding of the research is that, despite the rooted native-oriented ideology, both students and teachers expressed the necessity of exposure to different accents. In sum, the research findings demonstrate various and complex accent attitudes in relation to the participants’ identity construction. Based on the implications of the research, the thesis concludes with a proposal for teaching pronunciation based on the ELF framework – Teaching of Pronunciation for Intercultural Communication (ToPIC) – as a pronunciation praxis to respond better to the current linguistic landscape of English. Research limitations and possibilities for further research are discussed at the end of the thesis
Implementing Critical pedagogy of Global Englishes in ELT from the Lens of EMI and Intercultural Citizenship
No full textGlobal Englishes, translanguaging, and ESP
No full textThis chapter addresses the need for the inclusion of Global Englishes into English for specific purposes (ESP) classroom discourses in various domains to recognize linguistic diversity and challenge fixed-language ideologies. Various domains of ESP have different registers, varieties of lexicons, and specific genre-based expressions with implications for language education. In addition, there is a need to incorporate the notion of variable Global Englishes, as the most prevalent use of English, into ESP classroom discourses. Furthermore, the use of translanguaging should also be recognized as a legitimate linguistic and social practice in multilingual ESP classrooms in order to promote social equity and inclusive education. This chapter offers proposals for how Global Englishes and translanguaging can be recognized and implemented in ESP classroom pedagogy. These proposals promote the pedagogical development of inclusive multilingual education thereby fostering linguistic and cultural diversity in ESP and more generally in language education
Overseas Chinese students' perceptions of the influence of English on their language and culture
No full textThe English language today functions as a lingua franca with the largest number of learners and users of any language. As an international language, it has attracted much attention in terms of its impacts on other languages. As another key language with the largest number of native speakers, the Chinese language has also demonstrated a global status, with an increasing number of language learners and users. This paper investigates Chinese overseas students’ perceptions of the influence of English on the Chinese language and culture. By adopting a series of qualitative interviews, this paper researches the attitudes of overseas Chinese students studying in the UK towards the influence of English on the Chinese language. In order to explore how the uses of English influence the Chinese language in the Chinese context, the paper investigates students’ attitudes towards the Gaokao reform, the influence of English on Chinese language and culture, and the future use of English in China. It concludes that, although the Chinese language is developing quite rapidly with both L1 and L2 speakers, English represents an important channel for people’s personal development, and English as a lingua franca will continue to be used for a range of purposes in many Chinese people’s lives for some time to come. <br/
Developing students' awareness of Global Englishes
No full textAlthough research on Global Englishes (GE) has demonstrated the potential for a new perspective of ELT, studies of GE in an Asian ELT context are relatively rare. As current mainstream ELT practice in China still largely emphasizes 'native English', university courses related to GE are scarce. This paper aims to unpack the influence of a course on English as a World Language in Chinese university students' awareness of their own English and GE. Data were collected from students taking the optional course at a university in southeast China. After reporting the findings, the paper further discusses the pedagogical implications of integrating GE into English learning and teaching. It also argues for raising students' GE awareness and applying critical pedagogy in ELT for GE-oriented instruction.</p
Transcending Anglocentric ideologies of English language teaching in Asia: global Englishes-informed policy and practice
No full textThe global spread of English is now well documented with over two billion speakers, the majority of whom are L2 users of the language. This global role of English has been particularly relevant to the Asian region, first through its use as a colonial and post-colonial language and, later, through its role as a regional lingua franca. The global reach of English and the accompanying diversity of users have had a profound effect on how we understand English and, in turn, how we teach and learn it. This is studied through the field of Global Englishes, an umbrella term covering the areas of World Englishes (WE), English as a lingua franca (ELF), and English as an international language (EIL). This chapter outlines the core features of English in Asia, particularly focusing on its use as a medium for intercultural communication as part of a multilingual repertoire of resources. It explores the educational consequences of the growth of English at policy level and in practice at all levels of education. Yet, there is still an underlying colonial and Anglocentric ideology of English that underpins many approaches to English education in the region. This ideology results in tensions between the more normative Anglocentric teaching practices typically adopted and the diverse, multilingual, and intercultural reality of English use. Contemporary approaches to teaching English are outlined that recognize its variable use as a multilingua franca to prepare learners for English used in intercultural communication far removed from the norms of its Anglophone origins
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