Abstract:
Language attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs are considered powerful
determinants of language learning. Contemporary research attest to this
in the proliferation of mostly survey-based studies exploring teacher and
student attitudes towards varieties of English conducted within Global
Englishes paradigms in various parts of the world. They generally promote
an inclusive approach to Englishes in the classroom, suggesting that instead
of the unquestioning adoption of a single, prestigious, ‘native speaker’
pedagogical model such as Standard British or American English, developing
an awareness of Englishes such as Sri Lankan, Indian and Hong Kong English
is more beneficial for local and international communication in the current
global context. These studies often conclude with implications for teaching
and learning in the form of overtly stated or implied recommendations on
how to address attitudes to varieties of English in the classroom. I analysed
the recommendations in nearly 50 recent studies of teacher and/or student
attitudes to Englishes published between 2018 and 2024 compiled through
keyword searches in several academic databases. Themes identified
in these studies include increasing teacher awareness, developing WEs
inclusive curriculum materials, promoting critical reflection, and Englishes
in assessments. Informed by my own experiences as a teacher of English,
teacher trainer, curriculum developer in Sri Lanka, as well as a researcher
of Sri Lankan English, I critically engage with the generaliseability, feasibility
and teacher agency undergirding these themes, relating it to the local context
of teaching and learning English in secondary education in Sri Lanka. I
conclude with a consideration of the affordances of adopting a subjective
approach that takes into account individual, social and contextual factors in
when promoting and integrating multiple Englishes in the classroom.
