Global Englishes Language Teaching: Beliefs and Practices of Materials Designers at an English Language School in Thailand
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study compares the self-reported attitudes and beliefs of materials designers at a private English language school in Thailand regarding Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT) with their practice of materials design for speaking and listening classes. Twenty sets of previously-created English teaching materials were submitted for documentary analysis, and the attitudes of seven materials designers toward GELT-related notions were surveyed. In principle, participants appear positive about GELT-associated concepts, such as prioritising communicative function over linguistic form, selective use of learners’ first languages (L1) as resources for second language learning, and positioning advanced users of English (rather than ‘native’ speakers) as a model of success. Yet their submitted teaching materials bear little trace of GELT-informed decision-making. All presented language norms and pronunciation models are Inner-Circle varieties. No other languages – even Thai – are referenced in any of the sample materials. The broadest range of cultural representations are from the Inner Circle. We draw on relevant literature to identify factors underlying this misalignment between the sample’s reported attitudes toward GELT and their actual materials design practice.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Amrani, F. (2011). The process of evaluation: A publisher’s view. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials development in second language teaching (2nd ed., pp. 267–295). Cambridge University Press.
Bell, J., & Gower, R. (2011). Writing course materials for the world: A great compromise. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials development in language teaching (2nd ed., pp. 135–150). Cambridge University Press.
Björkman, B. (2014). An analysis of polyadic English as a lingua franca (ELF) speech: A communicative strategies framework. Journal of Pragmatics, 66, 122–138.
Boonkongsaen, N. (2018). Communication strategies used by Thai EFL teachers. The New English Teacher, 12(1), 63–76.
Boonsuk, Y., & Ambele, E. A. (2020). Who ‘owns English’ in our changing world? Exploring the perception of Thai university students in Thailand. Asian Englishes, 22(3), 297–308.
Boonsuk, Y., Ambele, E. A., & McKinley, J. (2021). Developing awareness of Global Englishes: Moving away from ‘native standards’ for Thai university ELT. System, 99, Article 102511.
Boonsuk, Y., Wasoh, F., & Ambele, E. A. (2024). Global Englishes pedagogical activities for English-as-a-foreign language settings and beyond: Understanding Thai teachers’ practices. RELC Journal, 55(2), 379–393. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882221112193
Boonsuk, Y., Wasoh, F., & Waelateh, B. (2023). Whose English should be talked and taught? Views from international English teachers in Thai higher education. Language Teaching Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688231152194
Braine, G. (2010). Nonnative speaker English teachers: Research, pedagogy, and professional growth. Routledge.
Buripakdi, A. (2012). The marginalized positions of Thai professional writers on the global hegemony of English. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 22(1), 41–60.
Chan, J. (2014). An evaluation of the pronunciation target in Hong Kong’s ELT curriculum and materials: Influences from WE and ELF? Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 3(1), 145–170. https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2014-0006
Chimmarak, U., Prabjandee, D., & Namfah, N. (2023). Global Englishes: Textbook analysis and teachers’ perception. English Language Teaching, 16(9), 1–64.
Cofie, N., Braund, H., & Dalgarno, N. (2022). Eight ways to get a grip on intercoder reliability using qualitative-based measures. Canadian Medical Education Journal, 13(2), 73–76. https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.72504
Cogo, A. (2009). Accommodating difference in ELF conversations: A study of pragmatic strategies. In A. Mauranen & E. Ranta (Eds.), English as a lingua franca: Studies and findings (pp. 254–273). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Cook, V. (1999). Going beyond the native speaker in language teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 33(2), 185–209. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587717
Crystal, D. (2012). English as a global language. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139196970
Dang, T. C. T., & Seals, C. (2018). An evaluation of primary English textbooks in Vietnam: A sociolinguistic perspective. TESOL Journal, 9(1), 93–113.
Dewey, M., & Pineda, I. (2020). ELF and teacher education: Attitudes and beliefs. ELT Journal, 74(4), 428–441. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccaa047
Doan, N. B. (2014). Teaching the target culture in English teacher education programs: Issues of EIL in Vietnam. In R. Marlina & R. Giri (Eds.), The pedagogy of English as an international language (pp. 79–93). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06127-6_6
Fang, F., & Ren, W. (2018). Developing students’ awareness of Global Englishes. ELT Journal, 72(4), 384–394. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccy012
Floris, F. D., & Renandya, W. A. (2020). Promoting the value of non-native English-speaking teachers. PASAA: Journal of Language Teaching and Learning in Thailand, 59, 1–19.
Galloway, N. (2017). Global Englishes and change in English language teaching: Attitudes and impact. Taylor & Francis.
Galloway, N., & Rose, H. (2015). Introducing Global Englishes. Routledge.
Galloway, N., & Rose, H. (2017). Incorporating Global Englishes into the ELT classroom. ELT Journal, 72(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccx010
García, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. Wiley-Blackwell.
Grau, M. (2005). English as a global language: What do future teachers have to say? In C. Gnutzmann & F. Intemann (Eds.), The globalisation of English and the English language classroom (pp. 261–274). Gunter Narr Verlag.
Gray, J. (2010). The construction of English: Culture, consumerism and promotion in the ELT global coursebook. Palgrave Macmillan.
Grazzi, E. (2015). Linking ELF and ELT in secondary school through web-mediation: The case of fanfiction. In H. Bowles & A. Cogo (Eds.), International perspectives on English as a lingua franca (pp. 55–71). Springer.
He, D., & Li, D. C. (2009). Language attitudes and linguistic features in the ‘China English’ debate. World Englishes, 28(1), 70–89.
Hu, G., & McKay, S. L. (2014). Multilingualism as portrayed in a Chinese English textbook. In J. Conteh & G. Meier (Eds.), The multilingual turn in languages education: Opportunities and challenges (pp. 64–88). De Gruyter.
Jenkins, J. (2014). Global Englishes: A resource book for students. Routledge.
Jindapitak, N., Teo, A., & Savski, K. (2022). Bringing Global Englishes to the ELT classroom: English language learners’ reflections. Asian Englishes, 24(3), 279–293.
Juntanee, J., Kewara, P., & Prabjandee, D. (2020). Global Englishes orientation in English textbooks in Thailand. วารสารศึึกษาศาสตร์์ มหาวิิทยาลััยบููรพา [Burapha University Journal of Education], 31(2), 151–161. https://so02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/edubuu/article/view/244371
Kachru, B. B. (1985). Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: The English language in the outer circle. In R. Quirk & H. Widdowson (Eds.), English in the world: Teaching and learning the language and literatures (pp. 11–36). Cambridge University Press.
Ke, I. C., & Cahyani, H. (2014). Learning to become users of English as a lingua franca (ELF): How ELF online communication affects Taiwanese learners’ beliefs of English. System, 46, 28–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2014.07.008
Keles, U., & Yazan, B. (2023). Representation of cultures and communities in a global ELT textbook: A diachronic content analysis. Language Teaching Research, 27(5), 1325–1346.
Kongsom, T. (2009). The effects of teaching communication strategies on Thai learners of English [Doctoral dissertation, University of Southampton]. University of Southampton Institutional Repository. http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/69653
Kramsch, C., & Hua, Z. (2016). Language and culture in ELT. In G. Hall (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of English language teaching (pp. 38–50). Routledge.
Kuo, I. C. (2006). Addressing the issue of teaching English as a lingua franca. ELT Journal, 60(3), 213–221.
Li, J., Wu, Y., & Gao, X. (2023). Language teachers’ engagement with ideological representations as materials designers. System, 117, Article 103121.
Marlina, R. (2025). Evaluating the international and intercultural orientation of an ELT textbook in Cambodia through the lens of Global Englishes Language Teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 59(1), 344–358.
Mauranen, A. (2012). Exploring ELF: Academic English shaped by non-native speakers. Cambridge University Press.
Montakantiwong, A. (2020). EFL teachers’ cognition of English as a global language: Ideologies, identities, and practices [Doctoral dissertation, University of Oxford]. Oxford University Research Archive. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:c95f6335-b68e-414d-b92f-2e2e1617a5f9
Montakantiwong, A. (2023). Bridging conceptual gaps in Global Englishes Language Teaching: Ethnographic insights from Thai higher education. Asian Englishes, 26(2), 391–409. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2023.2251736
Nguyen, T. T. M., Marlina, R., & Cao, T. H. P. (2021). How well do ELT textbooks prepare students to use English in global contexts? An evaluation of the Vietnamese English textbooks from an English as an international language (EIL) perspective. Asian Englishes, 23(2), 184–200.
Nishizaki, M. (2025). Charting the globe. A qualitative longitudinal analysis of the Englishes in German curricula and textbooks. TESOL Quarterly, 59(1), 256–280.
Panyang, K., & Phusawisot, P. (2023). An analysis of Global Englishes aspects in English textbooks at the lower secondary level in Thai EFL context. English Language Teaching, 16, 93–111. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v16n8p93
Park, J. S. Y., & Wee, L. (2009). The three circles redux: A market–theoretic perspective on world Englishes. Applied Linguistics, 30(3), 389–406.
Passakornkarn, S., & Vibulphol, J. (2020). Development of world Englishes-based listening materials to raise the awareness of the varieties of English for Thai EFL upper secondary school students. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 13(1), 225–246.
Phillipson, R. (2016). Native speakers in linguistic imperialism. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 14(3), 80–96.
Phongsirikul, M. (2017). A learner of the 20th century becoming a teacher of the 21st century: A perspective on the goals of ELT in Thailand. rEFLections, 24, 81–94. https://doi.org/10.61508/refl.v24i0.112295
Phyak, P. (2016). Local-global tension in the ideological construction of English language education policy in Nepal. In R. Kirkpatrick (Ed.), English language education policy in Asia (pp. 199-217). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22464-0_9
Prabjandee, D. (2020). Teacher professional development to implement Global Englishes language teaching. Asian Englishes, 22(1), 52–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2019.1624931
Prabjandee, D., & Fang, F. (2022). ‘I was like, just wow!’: Insights from Global Englishes teacher professional development. Asian Englishes, 24(3), 294–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2021.1989546
Prinyajarn, G., & Wannaruk, A. (2008). Communication strategies training for science and technology graduate students. Suranaree Journal of Social Science, 2(1), 17–32.
Rajani Na Ayuthaya, J., & Sitthitikul, P. (2016). World Englishes-based lessons: Their effects on anxiety and language achievement of Thai tertiary students. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 7(2), 201–223.
Rose, H., & Galloway, N. (2019). Global Englishes for language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Rose, H., McKinley, J., & Galloway, N. (2021). Global Englishes and language teaching: A review of pedagogical research. Language Teaching, 54(2), 157–189.
Saemee, K., & Nomnian, S. (2021). Cultural representations in ELT textbooks used in a multicultural school. rEFLections, 28(1), 107–120. https://doi.org/10.61508/refl.v28i1.251027
Sangpetch, S., Kewara, P., & Prabjandee, D. (2023). Integrating Global Englishes activities in a regular English classroom. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 6(1), 44–56.
Snodin, N. S., & Young, T. J. (2015). ‘Native-speaker’ varieties of English: Thai perceptions and attitudes. Asian Englishes, 17(3), 248–260.
Snow, M. A., Kahmi-Stein, L. D., & Brinton, D. M. (2006). Teacher training for English as a lingua franca. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 26, 261–281.
Somsai, S., & Intaraprasert, C. (2011). Strategies for coping with face-to-face oral communication problems employed by Thai university students majoring in English. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, 11(3), 83–96.
Sumaryono, K., & Ortiz, F. W. (2004). Preserving the cultural identity of the English language learner. Voices from the Middle, 11(4), 16–19.
Sung, K. (2018). Secondary pre-service English teachers’ perceptions of learning and use of diverse English and willingness to teach World Englishes. Korean Journal of Applied Linguistics, 34(3), 267–301.
Suzuki, A. (2011). Introducing diversity of English into ELT: Student teachers’ responses. ELT Journal, 65(2), 145–153.
Syrbe, M. & Rose, H. (2018). An evaluation of the global orientation of English textbooks in Germany. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 12(2), 152–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2015.1120736
Tajeddin, Z., & Pakzadian, M. (2020). Representation of inner, outer and expanding circle varieties and cultures in global ELT textbooks. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 5(10). 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00089-9
Tananuraksakul, N. (2017). Building up Thai EFL students’ positive attitudes toward their non-native English accented speech with the use of phonetics website. Teaching English with Technology, 17(4), 52–63.
Timmis, I. (2014). Writing materials for publication: Questions raised and lessons learned. In N. Harwood (Ed.), English language teaching textbooks: Content, consumption, production (pp. 241–261). Palgrave Macmillan.
Tomlinson, B. (2008). English language learning materials: A critical review. Continuum.
Tomlinson, B. (2011). Materials development for language learning and teaching. Language Teaching, 45(2), 143–179. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444811000528
Trudgill, P., & Hannah, J. (2017). International English: A guide to the varieties of standard English (6th ed.). Routledge.
Ulla, M. B., & Perales Jr, W. F. (2021). Developing an English language teaching textbook in a Thai university: Classroom language teachers as writers. English Teaching & Learning, 45(4), 461–476.
Vettorel, P. (2017). Communication strategies, ELF and ELT materials. A Cor das Letras, 18, 74–98. https://doi.org/10.13102/cl.v18iEspecial.2608
Vettorel, P. (2018). ELF and communication strategies: Are they taken into account in ELT materials? RELC Journal, 49(1), 58–73.
Vo, N. A., & Tran, T. N. (2025). Global Englishes in English language teaching: Evaluating coursebooks used in an undergraduate program in Vietnam. TESOL Journal, 16(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.70039
Yıldız, A., & Harwood, N. (2024). Why TESOL textbooks are the way they are: The constraints of writing for a global audience. TESOL Quarterly, 58(2), 909–931.
