Incorporating innovative Global Englishes-oriented activities into classroom instruction: voices from pre-service English teachers in Thailand

Abstract

ABSTRACT The English language has become a global language utilized by speakers of diverse cultural backgrounds and various first languages. This sociolinguistic transformation calls for a new paradigm shift in English language teaching. To address the gap, this qualitative study explored (1) the development of Thai pre-service English teachers’ awareness of the diversity of English after participating in three Global Englishes (GE)-oriented activities within and outside the classroom, and (2) their attitudes toward implementing GE-oriented pedagogies. The findings from written reflections and semi-structured interviews revealed that the pre-service English teachers reportedly became more open to using local English and admitted the existence of the diversity and complexity of English compared to the traditional Anglophone English. The findings also indicated that the activities had a direct connection and significant influence on developing pre-service English teachers’ linguistic awareness and positive attitudes toward the implementation of GE in English language pedagogy. In addition, a few implications with regard to GE-oriented pedagogies are proposed at the end of this paper.