Prospective English teachers re-examining language ideologies in telecollaboration^#

Abstract

Previous publications in applied linguistics concerning nonnative English speaker teachers have analyzed how native-speakerism associated ideologies engender discrimination and affect students’ and teachers’ sense of self-worth. This qualitative study examines how Colombian English pre-service teachers’ telecollaboration with U.S. Spanish heritage language students (SHLSs) influences the Colombian future teachers’ self-perceptions as (non) native speakers. This research joins the call scholars have made to expand telecollaboration into critical perspectives to challenge pervasive and harmful language beliefs and attitudes. Findings suggest that Colombian participants’ cooperative relationships with U.S. peers provided them affective and knowledge-based resources to build more favorable views of themselves, attitudes to confront the detrimental effects of native-speakerism ideologies, and informed judgments to dismantle them.

Keywords:

• Telecollaboration
• language ideologies
• native-speakerism
• nonnative English speaker prospective teachers
• online intercultural exchange

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Participants’ original questionnaire and interview testimonies were in Spanish and the researcher translated them into English by keeping faithful to their original.

2 Abbreviations identify quoted answers from participants: ‘UA’ and ‘UB’ refers to the university where they studied. PTQ. stands for pre-telecollaboration questionnaire, PSTINT. for post telecollaboration interview, SVC. Skype video call, FC. Facebook chat and WRL. written reflection log. Numbers are used to indicate the chronological sequence of data provided.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John Jairo Viáfara González

John Jairo Viáfara González is an associate professor at Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC) in Tunja. He holds a B.Ed. in Education (English) from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and a Master in Applied Linguistics (Universidad Distrital). With the help of a Fulbright Scholarship, he obtained his Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT) (University of Arizona). He worked as the head of the Master’s program at UPTC and has been a lecturer in various others master’s and doctoral programs in Colombia. His academic work has focused mostly on Colombian pre-service teachers’ reflective practices, autonomous work and study abroad. More recently he has examined pre-service teachers’ language ideologies and telecollaboration experiences and in-service teachers’ professional development when enrolled in a Master’s programs. His research work has been shared in academic events in Colombia, U.S.A and Mexico and through publications in Colombian and Latino-American journals.