ELF in international higher education institutions in Turkey :|learner and instructor perspectives

Abstract

This study explores the potential ways of integrating English as a lingua franca (ELF) awareness into the curriculum of English preparatory schools of universities where the medium of instruction is English. ELF awareness consists of fundamental changes in how the English language is conceptualized and the aims of English education are defined. Therefore, in order to investigate the possibilities of merging ELF awareness with the existing English language teaching (ELT) practices, this study has multiple foci including prep school students’ attitudes towards ELF and their language learning aims in that respect, prep school instructors’ conceptualization of the relationship between ELF and ELT, their ELF-aware teaching preferences in the classroom, and the evaluation of the effectiveness of the process by both groups. To gather data, the study makes use of - among other things - questionnaires, semi-structured and focus-group interviews, a teacher training module on ELF, classroom observations, and lesson artefacts. While the instructors are involved in teacher training and lesson planning, delivery and evaluation processes, the students are involved in surveys and evaluation of the lessons they attended. A mix of quantitative and qualitative techniques are used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that the students are aware of the global role the English language plays, and they have various linguistic needs in relation to ELF. Furthermore, the evidence also suggests that the instructors can design ELF-aware lessons using a variety of methods, focusing on various aspects of the ELF concept, and merging these with different linguistic skills. The critical evaluation of the lessons by the students and the instructors themselves reveals the effective aspects of classroom implementations. Based on the findings, an eight-component blueprint for action is suggested regarding the ELT practices in language prep schools of universities.