A case study of learner responses to global Englishes-informed curriculum interventions on listening comprehension and perceptions of English varieties

Thesis

English interactions today predominantly take place between second language speakers, leaving traditionally-held assumptions that students are learning English to communicate with first language speakers increasingly inappropriate. Despite growing support for the integration of Global Englishes perspectives into teaching practices, teaching materials and classroom activities largely fail to reflect this sociolinguistic reality, leaving learners unprepared for the communicative demands of global English use, particularly in regards to listening comprehension. As listening comprehension is affected not only by linguistic input, but also by factors such as attitudes and anxiety, this study explores learner responses to different types of classroom exposure to varieties of English and their impact on listening perceptions and comprehension. A multiple case study design was adopted employing mixed-methods data collection through participant logs and journals, interviews, and pre- and postclass activities eliciting numerical ratings of attitudes, comprehension, intelligibility, accentedness, and comprehensibility. With little research to date with adults in commercial contexts, two adult learners took part in a four-week curriculum intervention introducing accents they had identified as important to their professional lives.

Findings revealed that despite no clear improvement in numerically-elicited perceptions, both learners developed new listening strategies, expressed increased confidence in their comprehension abilities and found the curriculum intervention to be useful. However, the impact on attitudes was more mixed, with one participant expressing negative views towards classroom exposure to varieties of English.

Given positive affective outcomes, it is recommended that teachers incorporate a wider range of English varieties, based on learner needs, into classroom activities. However, with the negative impact on attitudes potentially due to a lack of tasks encouraging critical engagement with themes related to global English use, it is further recommended that such exposure be supported by critically reflective activities. Finally, this study highlights the need for further research, particularly among working adults, to explore responses to Global Englishes-informed curriculum interventions across diverse contexts.

Authors: To, C

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-obmpaxwqr
• Type of award: MSc
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: case study; mixed methods; Global Englishes; listening