The rise of English as a global language implies a paradigm shift for English language teaching. English teachers in non-English-speaking (NNS) countries used to connect electronically with teachers in nativespeaking (NS) countries so that their students could mimic or learn from their NS peers. The unequal power relationship between the two classes might have detrimental effects on EFL learners’ confidence and identity. When communication breakdowns or miscommunications occurred, native speakers were not expected to make any adjustments; rather, EFL learners had to learn NS norms. On the other hand, in the global English paradigm, though online communication between NNSs may bring equal footings, this format also encounters adversity such as students’ desire for NS norms and the suspicion that the exclusion of NS disadvantages NNS in the current linguistic landscape dominated by NS norms. This study reports a NNS-NNS online communication project in which fifty-plus university students from Taiwan and Japan collaborated online to enhance their English learning. Students’ perceptions on the roles of English and NS norms as well as their confidence in English are explored from their messages in the discussion forum, questionnaires, and weekly reflections. The advantages and disadvantages of teaching English with NNS-NNS online communications are also discussed.
목차
ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION ONLINE COMMUNICATION IN ELT PROCEDURES Participants FINDINGS Survey Findings Forum Participations and Reflections DISCUSSION CONCLUSION THE AUTHOR REFERENCES APPENDIX
키워드
Global Englishintercultural communicationonline communicationEnglish as a Lingua Franca (ELF)native-speaker norms
저자
I-Chung Ke [ Yuan-Ze University, Taoyuan, Taiwan ]
Toshihiko Suzuki [ Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan ]
The goals of Asia TEFL are to promote scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural understanding among persons concerned with the teaching and learning of English in Asia. In order to accomplish this, Asia TEFL will pursue the following goals:
1. To link ELT professionals in joint research on issues and concerns regarding English teaching and learning in the Asian context.
2. To publish an academic journal, The Asia TEFL Journal, as an internationally recognized journal in the field of English language teaching.
3. To host conferences and seminars addressing important issues concerning ELT in Asia.
4. To develop proficiency guidelines and assessment methods designed for the needs of the Asian context.
5. To develop programs for Asian learners and teachers of English to build their English language proficiency and cultural understanding and provide them with the skills required to be efficient English teaching professionals.