Changing Views of English through Study Abroad as Teacher Training

As English has become an essential international language, some universities in countries where students learn the language mainly in the classroom have started to send teachers overseas as part of English teacher training. Study abroad (SA) is perceived as one effective way to improve teachers'...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inELT journal Vol. 75; no. 4; pp. 397 - 406
Main Author Suzuki, Ayako
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford University Press 01.10.2021
Subjects
Communication Skills
Cultural Awareness
English (Second Language)
Foreign Countries
Language Proficiency
Language Teachers
Preservice Teacher Education
Preservice Teachers
Second Language Learning
Sociolinguistics
Student Attitudes
Study Abroad
Japan
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Summary:As English has become an essential international language, some universities in countries where students learn the language mainly in the classroom have started to send teachers overseas as part of English teacher training. Study abroad (SA) is perceived as one effective way to improve teachers' intercultural communication ability in English because it is believed that studying with culturally diverse others using English as a lingua franca (ELF) could help them to develop English proficiency and intercultural understanding. This study focuses on one group of Japanese pre-service English teachers who undertook SA as teacher training and looks into whether this contributed to the development of views of English for intercultural communication. The study found that their changes in ideas about English were brought about by their intricate understanding of ELF communication. This result addresses the need for teachers to learn sociolinguistic aspects of intercultural communication before undertaking SA.
ISSN:0951-0893
DOI:10.1093/elt/ccab038