dc.contributor.author |
Fernando, Dinali |
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2023-04-19T06:11:24Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2023-04-19T06:11:24Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2020 |
|
dc.identifier.citation |
Fernando, Dinali(2020), World Englishes in the classroom: A critical literature review of attitudes towards variation in English among teachers of English, Faculty of Graduate Studies, FGS Annual Research Symposium (2020). COVID - 19-PANDEMIC: Development Challenges and Opportunities. FGS/UOC: Colombo |
en_US |
dc.identifier.uri |
http://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/26035 |
|
dc.description.abstract |
The study of language attitudes has long been a significant area of research. Generally adopting
social psychological approaches, language attitudes research at present is dominated by studies of
attitudes towards World Englishes (AWEs) in English language teaching (ELT) contexts.
Undergirded by the theoretical assumption that attitudes can determine successful language
learning, these studies explore the attitudes of teachers and students of English in countries where
powerful global pedagogical models, British and/or American English, compete with established
local varieties within and outside the classroom. This critical literature review explores the
contribution of recent research towards gaining an in-depth understanding of teachers’ AWEs.
Over fifty international and local studies conducted in pedagogical contexts, mostly published
between 2011 and 2019, were reviewed. Findings revealed a dominant theoretical assumption
about attitudes as a stable, measurable construct and the employment of two deductive methods,
the language attitudes survey and the verbal-guise test. These approaches have produced
quantitative, generaliseable results that have succeeded in identifying global attitudinal trends such
as the growing acceptance of local varieties alongside the persisting preference for Inner Circle
pedagogical norms. Many studies also adopted a binary view of attitudes, affirming ‘positive’
attitudes while identifying ‘negative’ attitudes as deficient, with little attempt to explore
ambivalence in attitudinal reactions. A silencing of teachers’ individual voices which might have
shed light on their own attitudes was also observed. The literature review concludes that a more
nuanced understanding of current AWEs among teachers of English in Sri Lanka based on their
own experiences and worldviews might make a more meaningful contribution to English education
in the 21st century characterized by competing Sri Lankan Englishes, and regional and global WEs.
For this, the study recommends social constructionist and narrative approaches that view concepts
such as attitudes as unfixed, volatile, contextualised, and discursively constructed by individuals. |
en_US |
dc.publisher |
Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Language attitudes; World Englishes; English language teaching; teachers of English; Sri Lankan Englishes |
en_US |
dc.title |
World Englishes in the classroom: A critical literature review of attitudes towards variation in English among teachers of English |
en_US |