Global ELT Research Articles

Agency, authority and universality in the promotion of global ELT textbook series

ABSTRACT There is at present much focus in ELT on describing and promoting teacher and learner agency. However, ELT as a professional field is concurrently characterised by an increasing orientation toward authoritative texts, particularly those imbued with authority at the transnational level. Global textbooks are a notable example, since they, along with global language testing and language policy, play an increasingly important role in determining teaching and learning practices across a range of different settings. Our focus in this paper is on how the authoritativeness of global textbooks is upheld in online promotional materials. Examining websites of three contemporary ELT textbook series, we analyse discourse strategies employed to legitimise the authoritative position of the textbooks and their publishers. We find that publishers legitimised their authority through strategic links to external forces (policy, testing), in this way foregrounding the universality of the textbooks. In contrast, the websites represented the agencies of teachers and learners only minimally, primarily as subordinate to the agency attributed to textbooks themselves. We conclude with a reflection on the need for applied critical scholarship in ELT that can offer practical alternatives and thus disrupt dominant notions of universality and the hierarchization of knowledge these are based on.

Visual images and image-text relations in ELT textbooks for young learners

Abstract A noteworthy change in China’s newly released national English language curriculum standards is the inclusion of ‘viewing’ ability, i.e., the skill of acquiring information conveyed in multimodal discourses like graphics, photos and animation (MOE, 2022a). To investigate how ELT textbooks are compiled to foster learners’ viewing ability, we conducted a descriptive content analysis of two ELT textbook series (N1 = 12, N2 = 6) for young learners. Informed by Fingeret’s classification of graphics (2012) and Martinec and Salway’s framework of image-text relations (2005), we coded a total of 7182 visual images to examine how different types of visual images and image-text relations were utilised in terms of frequency and distribution in the two textbook series. Results show that both textbook series feature the use of diverse visual images and the Chinese ELT textbook series exclusively uses cartoons, whereas the global ELT textbooks use photos in addition to cartoons. Regarding image-text status relations, equal relations constitute a larger percentage than unequal relations, and the expansion logico-sematic relations appear much more frequently than the projection relations. Implications for dealing with visual images and image-text relations in ELT textbooks for young learners are suggested in the conclusion section.

Neoliberalizing Subjects through Global ELT Programs

AbstractA recent surge in textbooks studies has revealed a closer link with neoliberalism and the way they construct neoliberal subjects. This paper uses Foucauldian governmentality as the conceptual lens to analyze the neoliberal discourses in EFL textbooks used in English Access Microscholarship (EAM)—one of the US‐aided global ELT programs in Pakistan. English language learners' views on course outcomes and textbooks were also examined. The study shows that among others, English as a neoliberal life skill, celebrity culture, consumerism, entrepreneurship, and individual and corporate social responsibility dominate textbooks. It is thus found that textbooks play an important role in neoliberalizing learners. Moreover, English language learners perceive English as a key to economic success. They also value consumerism, branding, and personal responsibility. In light of the study findings, we suggest a decolonial option, reflective activism, and post‐method pedagogy as possible alternatives at the micro‐, meso‐, and macro‐levels to resist the discourses of neoliberalism and colonial power patterns entrenched in a postcolonial society like Pakistan.

Becoming a Teacher Educator in the Korean Primary School English Teacher Training Context: An Autoethnography on Identity Development

This article aims to explore formation of identity of an English teacher educator in the Korean primary school English teacher training context. Utilizing an autoethnographic approach, the author represents the ways by which his English teacher educator identity becomes a site of an ongoing struggle for various identities with language learning and teaching experiences situated at the meaning negotiation. By investigating multiple resources made relevant in the past 6 years by the author’s participation in the primary school English teacher training program, the current study recognizes that his English teacher educator identities are academic-self, teaching-self, and emotional being. Each identity is influenced by the other, being realized in the teacher training program as a classroom discussant (not a knowledge deliverer) on local and global ELT issues, as a researcher (not a monetary compensation seeker) who wants to bring local teachers’ stories to the broader academic world, and as an emotionally sensitive teacher whose professional development is closely tied to overcoming emotional vulnerability and being encouraged by positive feedback. This study ends with a call for further research and practical implications for teacher educators and teacher education programs.

Textbooks as ‘Neoliberal artifacts’: a critical study of knowledge-making in ELT industry

ABSTRACT The present study examined the traces of neoliberal ideology in O-level English language textbooks taught in elitist private schools in Pakistan that follow the UK-based international educational system administrated by the University of Cambridge under the General Certificate of Education (GCE). Analysis in the study was informed by Fairclough's CDA writings. Moreover, Bourdieu's views on neoliberalism were also considered to shed some light on neoliberal ideology in the textbooks. Findings suggest that several neoliberal themes were evident in the textbooks under scrutiny, including marketization, consumerism, branding, celebrity culture, competition, individualism, self-responsibility and self-entrepreneurship, mobility, new ‘Othering’ strategy and English as a neoliberal skill. Based on the findings, we argue that the global ELT industry that produces teaching materials, including textbooks for the periphery is a major contributor to the neoliberal world order maintained by the local (political) elite in the government(s) e.g. Pakistan in case of the present study. The textbooks prepare learners for a competitive world rather than a world based on cooperation, mutual progress, and happiness. The study thus questions such neoliberal hegemony encoded in the textbooks and argues for critical examination and selection of the materials for contexts where English is taught as a foreign language.

“The Darker Your Skin Color is, the Harder it is in Korea”: Discursive Construction of Racial Identity in Teaching Internationally

AbstractGrowing interest in international teaching programs has produced a surge of research on international language teaching (Menard‐Warwick, 2008). However, there are relatively few studies on the international teaching experiences of native English‐speaking teachers of color regarding their racial identity. To fill this gap, this longitudinal multi‐case study explores how three non‐White novice native English‐speaking teachers understood their racial and teacher identities during their international teaching in Korea. With a specific focus on their racial identity, how they make sense of their teaching and living experiences is examined in diverse contexts of their social interactions. The participants’ reflective and evaluative narratives from interviews were analyzed. The findings show that although their racial identity has a negative impact on their linguistic and professional identity that is denied by Korean society, the teachers utilized their own strategies for constructing a sense of belonging to the local and professional community. This study calls for a holistic, situated understanding of racial identity construction of non‐White native English teachers by urging further discussion of racism in the global ELT profession. This discussion encompasses the varying, pressing needs of expatriate English teachers from diverse backgrounds.

Representation of cultures and communities in a global ELT textbook: A diachronic content analysis

This study examines the representation of cultures and communities in the world across five editions of New Headway elementary level textbook (NHE). It conducts a diachronic content analysis to explore how the representation of cultures and communities has evolved in NHE across five editions since its first edition’s publication in 1993. Adapting Kachru’s model of concentric circles for data analysis, we utilized Yuen’s adaptation of ACTFL’s (1996) standards for language teaching via the categories of persons, perspectives, products, and practices. Our findings mainly indicate that the Inner Circle has maintained its dominance in NHE’s content over five editions. We found that there was an imbalance favoring European cultures against non-European cultures in the Expanding Circle. On the other hand, Expanding Circle / Non-European and Outer Circle are underrepresented with around 10% of the textbook content. These findings show that NHE’s cultural focus is on the Western, European, and Anglo-American world of English-speaking communities. Such an imbalance in representation of world cultures leads us to conclude that NHE’s writers do not sufficiently raise English learners’ global cultural consciousness since there has been little engagement with multicultural view of English language varieties. We invite teachers, learners, and material developers to critically approach, analyse, revise, and/or adapt textbook content as discursive constructions which shape the imagination of cultures and communities.

Who are the non-native speakers of English? A critical discourse analysis of global ELT textbooks

As the demand for English language skills among non-native speakers globally has grown steadily so too has the number of ‘global textbooks’ for ELT aimed at a world market. Concurrently, critical perspectives of the expansion of English have begun to challenge the view that native speaker contexts ‘own’ English. Based on the aforementioned, and on reflective approaches to culture, our objective is to analyze critically the representations of speakers of English as a second or foreign language offered by two global ELT textbooks, to discuss the issues of essentialization and reproduction of stereotypes about the “non-native” speakers of English and their sociocultural characteristics in the constructed image. To achieve this purpose, we apply a methodology based on a sociocognitive approach to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Van Dijk, 2013), the concept of sociocultural knowledge as stated by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and critical perspectives of culture according to Holliday, Kullman, and Hyde (2004). Our findings indicate that, though the books include ‘non-native’ speakers in an attempt to address multiculturalism, their representation is generic, portraying a reified image of their sociocultural traits and presenting diversity mostly through national labels.

Representation of inner, outer and expanding circle varieties and cultures in global ELT textbooks

The rise of world Englishes has challenged the emphasis on native-speaker accents and cultures in English language teaching. This study aimed to investigate the representation of world Englishes and cultures in three global language teaching textbooks, namely Interchange, English Result, and American English File. The textbooks were subjected to content analysis regarding their reference to Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circles’ varieties and their associated cultural contents. Kachru (The alchemy of English: The spread functions and models of non-native Englishes. Oxford: Pergamon, 1986) notion of Concentric Circles, and the categorization proposed by Pfister and Borzelli (Unterrichtspraxis 10:102–108, 1977) functioned as a framework to see which aspects of each culture (social, personal, religion/arts/humanities, political systems and institutions, and environmental concerns) were addressed in these textbooks. Findings revealed that most of the references to the three circles and cultural elements embodied in the textbooks were toward Inner Circle countries in American English File. Furthermore, in Interchange and English Result series, reference to Outer and Expanding Circles’ varieties and cultural elements were comparatively more evident. However, all the three textbook series mostly represented Inner-Circle accents. These findings have implications for materials developers to adopt an EIL-aware approach and to avoid the sole representation of native speakers’ linguistic norms and cultures in ELT textbooks.

L. A. Hill’s ‘neutral English’—a historical counterpoint to ELF

Abstract The concept of English as a lingua franca (ELF) is the subject of much theoretical discussion and debate within ELT. However, little has been written concerning the history of ideas preceding it. This article discusses the concept of ‘neutral English’ proposed in 1967 by the writer L. A. Hill. After summarizing Hill’s life and work, the article explores his idea for neutral English, noting its apparent similarities to modern ELF theory as well as the historical and contextual factors that distinguish it. Using Hill’s work and stated motivations as a lens through which to view modern theory, the article highlights the possibility that apparently radical ideas can be co-opted to ‘centre’ interests in modern global ELT. Finally, it is proposed that more work into the history of conceptualizations of international English use would shed further light on the academic and political forces which intersect with this area of research.

MAJOR CHANGES OF TRENDS IN ELT

The perspectives on major trends in the global ELT field has been a significant issue nowadays. The trends in today’s ELT field can be broken down into three major categories: globalization, localization, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

“A Comparative Study of the Discourse Marker but in a Conversation Corpus, Korean High School English Textbooks, and Global ELT Textbooks.”

“A Comparative Study of the Discourse Marker but in a Conversation Corpus, Korean High School English Textbooks, and Global ELT Textbooks.”

English Language Provision in Australia within the Global Context of ELT

The first part of this report reviews briefly different purposes for learning English worldwide in the current context of globalisation. The second part of this paper researches and critically analyses English language provision in Australia through following topics: Types of programs and providers in the different sectors and their purposes for teaching English; Funding sources for programs; Types and provenance of clients; Nature of curricula, courses and credentials within programs; Purposes of and approaches to language assessment in different sectors;. Regulation of the sectors. By examining a range of published journal articles, facts sheet, discussion feedback, evaluation reports and official internet sites, data were collected, edited, coded, classified and organized. Overall, Australia EL industry is constantly evolving to keep up with the changing needs of the global ELT market. Public and private sectors are strong and making a great progress though quite unstable and sensitive to the external challenges and fluctuations in demand.

Major Trends in the Global ELT Field: A Non-Native English-Speaking Professional's Perspective

Twenty-nine years ago, as a young EFL university teacher full of dreams, I left China, going across the ocean to Canada to pursue my goal of getting a graduate degree in TESOL and Applied Linguistics. As the only graduate student from China in that prestigious Canadian graduate school, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) / University of Toronto, I encountered all kinds of challenges in addition to cultural shock during the first few months. The terminologies in the field were all very foreign to me. “Comprehensible input,” “UG,” “SLA” – I had never heard these terms. Even the daily interaction with Canadians was definitely not Small Talk to me. Whenever someone initiated a “small talk” with me, my heart started jumping fast. “Small talk” always felt like “stressful talk” as my English learning in China was based on grammar-translation, literature-translation and memorization. With persistence and good learning strategies, I overcame one barrier after another and became the first Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from mainland China to graduate from OISE. OISE is one of the leading institutions in ELT in the world where many well-known ELT scholars have taught and / or studied, like David H. Stern, Jim Cummins, Merrill Swain, Michael Canale, J. P. B. Allen, Alistair Pennycook, Bonnie Norton, Ryuko Kubota, Brian Morgan, and Angel Lin, to name a few. Today, I am able to teach graduate students, do teacher training, and work with adult English language learners. I also have had the opportunity to serve as President-elect of TESOL International Association and am serving as President in 2014-2015. I have been working with people in the field whose work I read and respect. My story is just one of many stories about the journey of non-native English-speaking ELT professionals. Together, we are making a difference in our professional lives and writing a new page in the ELT field.

Gender Gap in the EFL Classroom in East Asia

The present brief discussion is stimulated by recent research publications (Appleby 2013; Hicks 2013; Stanley 2013) on discrimination against female native English speaker teachers in east Asia where native white males have long dominated the English teaching positions at language schools and colleges. Not only the global commodification of native English speakers but also the internationally known male-oriented hiring practices in east Asia and other unexplored factors appear to be working in favor of young male native speakers from the West. The present discussion explores gender gap in the EFL classroom in east Asia from the perspective of global ELT community's political sensitivity to its professionalism.

‘A basic starter pack’: the TESOL Certificate as a course in survival

Relying on data both from recent TESOL Certificate trainees and from experienced teachers, this paper examines ways in which a focus on survival during TESOL Certificate courses indicates a performance-based philosophy of teacher education and, ultimately, a preference for native speakers, both of which are inconsistent with the changing global ELT market.