Volume 12, Issue 1

Research into the pedagogical implications of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has seen important developments over the last decade, through investigation of how English Language Teaching (ELT) can, and should, respond to the challenges and issues connected to the global spread of English in terms of curricula, syllabi, materials and classroom practices. In this perspective, Language Teacher Education is a central factor to promote awareness of the necessity to respond to how English is used as a global lingua franca today, not least in terms of Language Awareness, multilingual practices and meaning negotiation through Communication Strategies. In this paper we aim at addressing aspects related to teacher awareness as to ELF, in terms of how ‘language’, ‘language teaching and learning’ and ‘language use’ are conceived within an ELF-aware perspective. We will look in particular at the role that Language Awareness, Communicative Competence especially as to its strategic dimension in pragmatic moves, and multilingual practices play in ELF, and at their relevance in raising teachers’ awareness of ELF and ELF-aware pedagogic practices. We will then examine how these aspects interrelate with the three components in Sifakis’ ELF awareness model – awareness of language and language use, awareness of instructional practices, awareness of learning – also providing exemplifications of activities that could be used in ELF-oriented Teacher Education, and in ELT practices, to foster reflection on how they can become part of English language teaching and learning.

Research shows that, while exposure to English as a lingua franca (ELF) discourse and to discussion of ELF-related interactional strategies – such as rephrasing, paraphrasing and translanguaging – can help raise English language teachers’ and learners’ ELF awareness, this is often not enough nor is the value of such exposure adequately monitored. In this paper, following the principles of ELF awareness (Sifakis, Nicos. 2019. ELF awareness in English language teaching: Processes and practices. Applied Linguistics 40(2). 288–306), I suggest that raising teachers’ and learners’ awareness of and attitudes towards their own experience as users of English inside and outside of the classroom needs to be prioritised, especially in Expanding Circle teaching and learning contexts. Together with this awareness, teachers and learners need to be made fully conscious of their deeper perceptions about key ELF concerns, such as the role of the native speaker in ELF interactions, the nature of intercultural communication, etc. Such awareness can be raised through metalinguistic and metacognitive activities and questions added to existing activities/materials. To this end, I propose a framework and a series of specific step-by-step scenarios and tools for raising teachers’ and learners’ ELF awareness along these lines and present four examples of integrating such metacognitive and metalinguistic activities with those of a specific textbook.

This paper examines the role that action research – including both academic studies and action research undertaken by teachers for the purposes of professional development – might play in helping to close the existing gap between the pedagogical implications of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) research and the practical implementation of an ELF-oriented approach in the classroom. It is argued that the purposes and characteristic features of action research as a research methodology are particularly relevant and fitting to address the kinds of questions relating to pedagogy which remain at this stage of ELF research. To support this thesis, the heart of the paper presents findings from an applied linguistic study investigating the implementation of an ELF-oriented approach in a university-level pilot course in order to illustrate the kinds of insights which classroom-based action research studies can provide. Finally, the concluding section reflects on the role of action research as a part of teachers’ professional development, the potential contributions which such research might make to ELF research and the need for the wider ELF research community to pay more attention to findings from action research undertaken as part of teacher education programs.

The emergence of English as a tool for global communication among multilingual speakers poses relevant challenges to traditional ways of learning and teaching the language. To this end, teacher education becomes of crucial importance not only to raise students’ awareness of the global status of the language, but also to align their practices in a way that respond to the changes brought about by English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) research, from an Anglocentric and monolingual-based perspective to a pluricentric representation of English in multilingual environments. In this paper, we intend to unearth the ideology and attitudes towards English as a global lingua franca held by 569 pre-service teachers through a survey addressed to students in English-related university BA and MA degrees across Spain. The survey seeks to explore the impact on pre-service teachers’ views and attitudes towards the language of the following factors: (i) study-abroad experience; (ii) attendance to courses promoting ELF-awareness; (iii) current year of study. The findings suggest that a positive effect is found at the level of ideology; however, participants are less prone to adhere to principles of ELF-aware teaching when practically evaluating non-standard forms.