English Ought to be Discussed and Instructed? Overseas English Instructors' Perspectives on Thai Higher Education

Authors

  • Dr. Henrich, Mark Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department English and Literature
  • Dr. Wilson Aarts Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department English and Literature
  • Tolibovna-silva Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department English and Literature

Abstract

This qualitative study set out to find out how 12 foreign English teachers from four Thai universities felt about World Englishes (WE), Thai English (TE), and the viability of integrating WE into ELT classrooms. The teachers came from the UK, US, Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Participants held positive attitudes and did not dispute the existence of WE and TE, despite differences in their rules, vocabularies, pronunciations, and accents from British English (BrE) and American English (AmE), according to the results of semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis. Interviewees also saw different English dialects as representations and symbols of their users' national and cultural identities. While the majority opposed, marginalised, unequally valued, and questioned the legitimacy of WE for ELT implementations, others believed that exposing students to English diversity would prepare them for shifts in the English linguistic landscape and the practical application of today's English.

Keywords- Instructed? Overseas English Instructors, Higher Education

Published

2023-04-16

How to Cite

Dr. Henrich, Mark, Dr. Wilson Aarts, & Tolibovna-silva. (2023). English Ought to be Discussed and Instructed? Overseas English Instructors’ Perspectives on Thai Higher Education. OEconomia, 6(2), 89–100. Retrieved from https://oeconomiajournal.com/index.php/Journal/article/view/58

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2023)

Section

Articles