A summary of my final MA action research project detailing a study of ESL students\' opinions of English becoming a global language

1. Becoming Global Citizens in an English Speaking World An Action Research Project By Angelique Pearson St. Edward’s University

2. The Effects of English as a Global Language Accelerating pace of globalization English taught in every corner of the globe Many countries crafting English programs Pressure to study and learn it

3. Research Questions How does this affect English-language learners’ lives and the choices they make today? Do they feel learning English makes them global citizens, connecting them to the world? Are their reasons primarily financial, communicative, or personal, and do they study by choice or necessity?

4. The Plan Research the history of the spread of English Discover prior research on The ramifications this process has had on non-English-speaking countries and their citizens How globalization has propelled this rise of English Motivations for studying ESL Gather both quantitative and qualitative data through a survey and two focus groups

5. Hypotheses Increasing demand for English proficiency in many non-English-speaking countries puts a great deal of pressure on ESL learners, greatly influencing their educational choices Few choose to study English for purely personal reasons Major motivations are related to English’s status as a global language

6. A World Language Explosion of human languages- estimated 6000 languages worldwide Past two thousand years, this trend slowed began to reverse Bilingualism, feature of modern history Formation of large empires which encouraged or imposed prestige languages As many as 90% of human languages may be doomed to extinction in the next century

7. English Today As many as two billion people speak it today As many as four non-native speakers for every native speaker Some scholars believe that we may be destined to become an English speaking planet Why? Threemajor reasons

8. British Empire Prestige language in colonies English fluency seen favorably Lingering effects still visible today Linguistic imperialism-speakers of one language begin to adopt a more dominant language, often viewing it as superior to their own Lack of equality, characterized by domination, marginalization, and exploitation

9. American Power America was settled and plucked of resources, creating one of the mightiest nations Power in the 20th century led to English expansion Influenced marketplaces worldwide Lack of foreign language education Not always embraced with open arms

10. Globalization Economic interdependence International competition Language of science, technology, academics Travel 300% increase since 1960 Homogenization

11. Global Citizens Blurred, competing, overlapping identities One world, one people Connected by internet, travel, language Elitism?

12. Effect of EGL on Non-native Speakers Countries institute English programs World Englishes Required or preferenced Contact language Burden of second-language

13. Methodology Prior research Motivation in second-language Instrumental vs. integrative Four categories Financial Communicative Personal Passive

14. Instruments Survey SurveyMonkey Qualitative & quantitative Multiple choice w/Likert scales & open ended Full Excel spreadsheet results including charts and graphs Placed icon on computers 50% return rate Focus Groups Two open groups 7-10 students Recorded (kind of) Incentive

15. Results

16. Results

17. Results

18. Open-ended Responses What is the most important reason that you study English? Financial motivators most important Of 26 responses, 11 contain a reference to studying and/or university, seven mention jobs or careers, six mention communication, and three list personal reasons

19. Open-ended Responses Please describe how English has affected your life. Answers overwhelmingly communicative & financial categories The majority of the answers mentioned making friends or communicating with people from other countries, being able to travel all over the world Several mentioned being able to study or get a job in global business

20. Focus Groups First group, 7 students; one each from China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Korea, and two from Vietnam Second session, 8 students; one each from Vietnam and Brazil and three each from Saudi Arabia and China

21. Focus Groups “China, from Primary school everyone should study English. After that I think I like English, and to go to other countries and speak English. I’m not sure what major I will choose but I think English is very useful.” “If you only know about native language you can’t communicate with people from different countries, but when I speak English I can understand what do they say and what do they want. And we can have a friendship.”

22. Reflections More informative than action-oriented, so difficult to make recommendations Case studies vs. focus groups Better questions about feelings of pressure More on global citizenship Alternative systems of describing motivation

23. Recommendations Market programs focusing on English for academia, business, and communication Lack of personal (integrative) motives which are associated with long-term success and achievement Increase contact opportunites with Americans Curriculum changes geared to international usees of English

24. What’s Next? Fear of continued spread, McDonaldization Imperialism, backlash Predictions Replaced by several groups of dominant languages Many Englishes, contact language Lingua franca Interesting time to be a language researcher