Aug 2026· RELC Journal : A Journal of Language Teaching and Research in Southeast Asia· 0 citations· 19 references
Abstract
As Taiwan advances its agenda under the Bilingual 2030 policy, English is increasingly framed as a medium for intercultural engagement rather than merely an academic subject. With the expansion of English-medium instruction and English use in a variety of domains, Taiwanese learners are more likely to use English with other non-native speakers in global contexts. In this setting, pragmatic competence and Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT), a framework with pragmatics at its core, are essential for enabling learners to negotiate meaning, manage interaction and adapt to diverse cultural norms in an increasingly multilingual and globalized world. Despite this policy shift, English Language Teaching (ELT) curriculum reform has not kept pace. This study examines the extent to which GELT dimensions are incorporated into Taiwan's national ELT curriculum guidelines and four widely used elementary English textbook series. Using deductive thematic analysis and qualitative content analysis across eight dimensions of an adapted GELT framework, the findings reveal a significant divergence between policy-level intentions and their realization in instructional materials. The curriculum guidelines align closely with GELT principles, emphasizing communicative effectiveness, intercultural awareness and the de-centring of native-speaker norms. However, GELT-related pragmatic elements remain largely conceptual, with limited explicit guidance on context-sensitive language use and interactional strategies at the elementary level. In contrast, textbook representations of GELT are partial and uneven. Although some cultural diversity and strategic use of learners’ first language are evident, key dimensions, such as target interlocutors, role models and language norms, continue to privilege Inner-Circle orientations and accuracy-focused conventions. Overall, the study characterizes Taiwan's ELT landscape as a hybrid and transitional model in which globally oriented communicative aims coexist with persistent native-normative practices, highlighting the need for stronger alignment among curriculum design, materials development, assessment practices and teacher education to support sustainable GELT-informed ELT reform.
This study examines the feasibility and pedagogical value of incorporating Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT) into Taiwanese bilingual elementary English education, an area that remains critically underexplored despite the rapid global expansion of bilingual schooling. Focusing on a Taiwanese elementary school operating under the Bilingual 2030 policy, the study draws on semi‐structured interviews and focus group discussions to examine teachers' perceptions of bilingual teaching experiences and possibilities for integrating GELT principles into curricula. Findings reveal that bilingual education aligns well with GELT principles and serves as a catalyst for re‐shaping teachers' language ideologies. Despite institutional constraints, attachments to “native” English norms and societal expectations, participants expressed a strong willingness to adopt GELT. The study advances understanding of how GELT can be meaningfully implemented at the foundational stages of education and how bilingual education acts as a setting where language ideologies begin to take shape. The findings underscore the pivotal role of teacher professional development, successful classroom implementation of curricular innovation, teacher collaboration, and teacher agency in driving GELT‐informed curricula change. Although centered on a single school, the study contributes original evidence from an underrepresented educational context and provides timely, practice‐grounded perspectives on how bilingual education systems can support more equitable, globally oriented ELT.
Since China is placing increasing emphasis on international engagement in education and English is functioning more widely as a lingua franca (ELF), this study examines the extent to which senior high school English textbooks reflect a Global Englishes (GE) orientation. Using qualitative content analysis, the textual, visual, and auditory elements of three textbooks officially approved by China’s Ministry of Education (MoE) were analyzed through the lens of the 2018 GE framework. The analysis focused on six dimensions: target interlocutors, ownership, norms, cultures, needs, and assessment criteria. The results show that all three textbooks exhibit aspects that are in line with a GE orientation, including representation of diverse English users, acknowledgment of global ownership of English, inclusion of lexical variation, pluralistic cultural representations, communicative assessment forms, and attention to global communication needs. However, native-speakerism remains influential. Although cultural content appears diverse and fluid, it often lacks sufficient depth to foster critical intercultural awareness. Overall, the results reveal both progress and continuing limitations in integrating GE principles into Chinese English language teaching (ELT). These findings highlight the need for more inclusive and pedagogically coherent resources to better prepare students for effective communication in global contexts.
Lin Chen, Jutarat Vibulphol· LEARN Journal : Language Edu...· 0 citations
The expansion of English Medium Instruction (EMI) across Asian higher education has intensified post-pandemic, yet a comprehensive understanding of its implementation landscape remains limited. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, this systematic review synthesizes 15 empirical studies (2015–2025) from four academic databases to explore implementation trends, stakeholder challenges, and adaptation strategies in Asian EFL contexts. Frequency analysis revealed that linguistic difficulties were a primary barrier in 87% of the studies, pedagogical inconsistency in 60%, and language anxiety affected 53% of the combined participants. Thematic synthesis identified three core dimensions: top-down policies generating macro-micro gaps and institutional stratification; multidimensional linguistic and psychological barriers impacting engagement; and emergent adaptive strategies, including translanguaging, bilingual professional learning communities, and learner metacognition. These findings highlight that EMI is a complex educational ecosystem rather than a mere linguistic shift. This review offers a structured, geographically scoped framework for policymakers, institutions, and future researchers to improve EMI quality and equity in the region.
A. Saifulloh, Muhammad Arif Al Hakim· IJEE (Indonesian Journal of...· 0 citations
Nepal’s English classrooms are linguistically and culturally diverse, yet English-only orientations continue to influence English language teaching. This study explores how secondary-level English teachers negotiate learners’ first language (L1) and local cultural knowledge in English teaching and how they perceive the contribution of these resources to learners’ comprehension, participation, interaction, and meaning-making. A qualitative narrative inquiry was conducted with three experienced secondary-level English teachers from public schools in Nepal. Data were generated through three in-depth narrative interview sessions with each participant, conducted mainly in Nepali, transcribed, translated into English where necessary, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis while retaining attention to the narrative context of teachers’ accounts. The findings show that teachers used L1 selectively according to learners’ English proficiency, lesson difficulty, pedagogical purpose, and classroom circumstances. Nepali was used to explain difficult concepts, clarify linguistic differences, check understanding, facilitate interaction, and encourage participation. Local cultural knowledge, including familiar foods, festivals, community practices, and everyday experiences, was used to connect unfamiliar English content with learners’ prior knowledge and create meaningful opportunities for English communication. Rather than viewing L1 as an alternative to English, teachers described it as a temporary and purposeful mediational resource that could facilitate learners’ engagement with English. However, they also recognized that excessive reliance on L1 could limit learners’ opportunities to encounter and use English. The study thus conceptualizes multilingual English teaching as a process of pedagogical negotiation rather than adherence to a fixed English–L1 ratio. By bringing together L1 use, local cultural knowledge, and teacher agency, the study contributes a context-sensitive account of how Nepalese English teachers mobilize learners’ existing linguistic and cultural resources while maintaining English as the principal target of instruction. The findings underscore the importance of teacher education that develops teachers’ capacity to make purposeful, context-sensitive linguistic and cultural choices in linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms.
Bibash Thapa, Sujita Upadhayaya· A Peer Reviewed Journal on S...· 0 citations
Despite the growing recognition of multilingualism as a pedagogical resource in English Language Teaching (ELT) settings, English language teachers in Nepal are still in a dilemma in the implementation of multi/translingual pedagogical practices in their classrooms. The study aims to explore Nepalese secondary-level English language teachers' beliefs on linguistic hybridity along with their experiences of navigating sociopolitical and institutional constraints in practice. The study employed narrative inquiry as a research design. Two secondary-level English language teachers teaching at the multilingual public schools of Itahari sub-metropolitan city, Sunsari, were selected as a sample by using a purposive sampling strategy. Using in-depth interviews as a research tool, the participants were interviewed individually. The data was recorded, transcribed, coded, categorized, and thematically analyzed. The study revealed a complex tension between multilingual pedagogical realities and monolingual institutional expectations. The study further explored that English language teachers perceived translanguaging as a practical, inclusive, and context-responsive pedagogy that enhances comprehension, engagement, and confidence. However, teachers experience guilt, self-doubt, and professional insecurity due to internalized monolingual norms that equate English-only instruction with quality teaching. Furthermore, the study found that systemic barriers such as lack of policy clarity, institutional support, parental aspirations for English, prescriptive curricula, and lack of training remain barriers in the implementation of multi/translingual practices in ELT classrooms. The study concludes that linguistic hybridity functions both as a pedagogical resource and an ideological site of struggle in Nepalese ELT settings. The study calls for policy reform, multilingual teacher education, and assessment practices that legitimize multilingual teaching strategies in the classrooms.
Khem Raj Rauteda· Journal of Janta Multiple Ca...· 0 citations
With the globalization of English, English users, interlocutors, and communicative contexts have become increasingly diverse. Traditional English teaching objectives, which mainly use British and American standard English as their reference, are gradually proving insufficient to fully meet the needs of real-world international communication. From the perspective of Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT), this paper discusses the shift in English teaching objectives from “standard-language accuracy” to “international communicative competence.” First, it analyzes the historical rationality and limitations of the traditional accuracy-oriented approach based on standard English, highlighting its shortcomings in language ideology, views of communication, and the development of learner agency. Second, it explains the core connotations of international communicative competence in terms of intelligibility, intercultural awareness, negotiation and accommodation abilities, local cultural expression, and the construction of subjectivity. Finally, it proposes corresponding adjustments in curriculum content, classroom tasks, and assessment concepts. This paper argues that reconstructing teaching objectives from the GELT perspective does not mean denying linguistic accuracy. Rather, it repositions accuracy within the framework of authentic communication, enabling it to serve effective communication, intercultural understanding, and learners’ subjective expression.
Zixi Zheng· Scientific Journal Of Humani...· 0 citations