Raising L2 readers’ awareness of English as a Lingua Franca in a language classroom

Abstract

A growing body of research has examined the incorporation of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) into Second Language (L2) instruction in various settings. Despite pedagogical innovations in L2 classrooms, little research has embodied retrospective explorations of the impact of ELF interventions with concrete instruments to measure the exact change in learners’ attitudes, awareness, and knowledge. This study investigated how the ELF intervention can be integrated into an L2 classroom at a university to engage pre-service teachers in L2 reading and to increase their ELF awareness. Participants were divided into an experimental group (n = 35) and a control group (n = 26). The experimental group underwent a 12-week ELF intervention, including ELF awareness-raising readings and discussions in the Reading Skills course. The control group received instruction based on the Reading course content. This study adopted a collective case study design using the data from reading comprehension tests, reflection papers, focus group interviews, and an open-ended questionnaire. The results revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in L2 reading comprehension. The ELF intervention had a significant impact on the experimental group’s conceptualizing of the ELF paradigm, developing attitudes, raising linguistic and cultural awareness, and increasing L2 reading motivation.

ÖZET (ABSTRACT IN TURKISH)

Giderek artan sayıda araştırmalar, çeşitli ortamlarda Lingua Franca olarak İngilizce’nin (İngilizce kısaltması ELF) İkinci Dil (İngilizce kısaltması L2) eğitimine dahil edilmesi üzerinedir. İkinci dil sınıflarındaki pedagojik yeniliklere rağmen, çok az araştırma, öğrencilerin tutum, farkındalık ve bilgilerindeki kesin değişimi ölçmek için ELF müdahalelerinin somut araçlarla etkisinin geriye dönük araştırmalarını somutlaştırmıştır. Bu çalışma, öğretmen adaylarını L2 okumaya teşvik etmek ve onların ELF farkındalıklarını artırmak için ELF müdahalesinin bir üniversitedeki L2 sınıfına nasıl entegre edilebileceğini araştırmaktadır. Katılımcılar bir deney (n = 35) ve bir kontrol grubu (n = 26) olmak üzere ikiye ayrıldı. Deney grubuna, okuma becerileri dersindeki ELF farkındalık artırıcı okumalar ve analizler dahil olmak üzere 12 haftalık bir ELF eğitimi verildi. Kontrol grubu ise sadece okuma dersi içeriğine bağlı olarak eğitim aldı. Bu çalışma, okuduğunu anlama testlerinden, yansıtma yazılarından, odak grup görüşmelerinden ve açık uçlu bir anketten elde edilen verileri kullanan kolektif bir vaka çalışması tasarımını benimsemiştir. Sonuçlar, deney grubunun L2’de okuduğunu anlamada kontrol grubundan daha iyi performans gösterdiğini ortaya çıkardı. ELF müdahalesinin, deney grubunun ELF paradigmasını kavramsallaştırması, tutum geliştirmesi, dilsel ve kültürel farkındalığı artırması ve ikinci dil okuma motivasyonunu artırması üzerinde önemli bir etkisi oldu.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

The increasing use of English around the world has led to new approaches to teaching English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Recently, practitioners and academicians, particularly in developing countries, such as Turkey, are expected to teach ELF and prepare English teacher candidates for intercultural communication. Undergraduate students studying English as a second language (L2) in English language teaching programmes (i.e. pre-service teachers) are expected to comprehend challenging advanced-level texts related to global issues. This study examined the use of reading texts on ELF-related topics (i.e. ELF intervention) in an L2 reading classroom at a university in Turkey and investigated pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the ELF. The effect of ELF intervention was explored by comparing two groups of Turkish pre-service teachers: an experimental group and a control group. Thirty-five pre-service teachers in the experimental group received an ELF intervention in the L2 reading course, whereas 26 pre-service teachers in the control group did not receive the intervention. The results showed that the ELF intervention increased the Turkish pre-service teachers’ performance on an L2 reading comprehension test. The results also indicated that the pre-service teachers benefitted from the ELF intervention and could make connections between the ideas in the L2 reading texts and the knowledge they gained related to the ELF. These findings highlight the importance of ELF intervention in L2 reading courses in language teacher education programmes.

Keywords:

• English as a Lingua Franca
• ELF-aware pedagogy
• ELF intervention
• L2 reading
• pre-service teachers

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the Editor and two anonymous reviewers of earlier versions of this article for their helpful comments and suggestions. I would like to thank the students for participating in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pelin Irgin

Pelin Irgin is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario, Canada. Her research focuses on second language learning and teaching, particularly L2 critical reading, listening assessment, and language testing. She has led several research projects in second language education, exploring teaching and learning in a range of multicultural and multilingual contexts. Pelin’s publications appeared in peer-reviewed journals (e.g. TESOL Journal, Language Learning & Technology), edited volumes, encyclopedias, and research reports.