ERIC Number: EJ1447046
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0143-4632
EISSN: EISSN-1747-7557
The Effect of Racialization on EFL Learners' Conceptualizations of the 'Native Speaker' Construct
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v45 n9 p3828-3845 2024
This study investigated the extent to which racialisation shapes EFL learners' conceptualizations of the 'native speaker' construct through an experimental design. Three hundred and fourteen university students studying at English-medium universities in Turkey were invited to take an online matched guise test. They were assigned to either the control group or the experimental group randomly. The participants in the control group were presented with photos of women in their late 20s, accompanied by 30-second speech samples recorded by White, Midwestern American women. In the experimental group, the same speech samples were accompanied by photos of similarly-aged women from racially minoritized backgrounds. The participants responded to 14 statements about each speaker on a five-point Likert scale. The statements were created based on the various qualities commonly referred to in the literature when defining 'native English speakers.' They referred to both linguistic factors such as fluency, intelligibility, age of language acquisition, intuitions about grammar, etc., and non-linguistic factors such as citizenship of an Anglophone country, birthplace, etc. The results revealed that the participants rated the speakers in the control group (White speakers) as significantly more 'native' than some speakers of colour. The discussion includes implications for teacher education and employment.
Descriptors: Native Speakers, English (Second Language), Language Attitudes, Language of Instruction, Universities, Speech Communication, Comparative Analysis, North American English, Photography, Likert Scales, Language Fluency, Intelligibility, Age Differences, Grammar, Citizenship, Females, Minority Groups, Whites, Task Analysis, Language Variation, College Students, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A