English as a lingua franca and pre-service English teachers: Challenging beliefs in a course on English phonetics and phonology.

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Due to the globalized dimension the English language has gained over the years, researchers have emphasized the importance of questioning traditional English language learning (ELL) and English language teaching (ELT) ideas in teacher education. Such deep-rooted beliefs have historically responded to hegemonic pedagogies from Inner Circle countries that dictate how non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) should learn, use, and teach the language, devaluing NNESTs’ contextual language usage, expertise, and teaching approaches. Willing to recognize NNESTs as valid English users and teachers, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) appears as a post-method pedagogy that challenges colonial language perceptions. An awareness of ELF on NNESTs fights native-speakerism based learning and teaching outcomes, and builds up horizontal power connections among language speakers. The introduction of ELF awareness and its subsequent analysis must take place at the beginning of NNESTs’ professional lives, that is to say, in language teacher education programs. This study aimed at analyzing and portraying how ELF awareness introduction transformed pre-service teachers’ perceptions of ELL and ELT in a language teacher education program in Colombia. To do this, an exploratory case study was carried out. Data were gathered from virtual in-class participant observations, class video recordings, student-teachers’ final written reflections, and individual semi-structured interviews. These data were analyzed through an in-depth analysis process. Findings from this analysis revealed that ELF-aware-based reflections helped both shape and uphold student-teachers’ beliefs related to the English language, its pluricentricity and ownership, students' learning goals, and language accent. Furthermore, participants challenged standard language teaching assumptions and questioned their preconceived teacher choices. Finally, this study includes some implications for Colombian ELT programs and teacher education research. The former expresses the need of including ELF awareness in local university teaching programs’ curricula. The latter suggests the development of local studies in which pre-service teachers use ELF awareness to question preconceived ELL and ELT ideas.