Decentring Standard English in ELT: Teacher Agency and Pedagogical Uptake of Global Englishes in Bangladesh

Abstract

The spread of English in the world has led to the threat of the traditional domination of the Standard English in teaching the English language (ELT). This paper examines the views of English language teachers in Bangladesh towards Standard English and the ways they use Global Englishes perspectives in their classrooms. A qualitative exploratory research design was used to gather information on 150 English language teachers in the secondary or university level in Bangladesh. The beliefs of teachers, classroom practices and pedagogical decision-making processes were investigated with the help of a structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. According to the results, 64% of the teachers believe that Standard English is the main model used in ELT classrooms because of the curriculum and exam systems, which prioritize the standardized norms of the language. Simultaneously, the findings demonstrate the growing awareness of the international variety of English. About 46% of teachers stated that they sometimes use multimedia materials, listening activities and classroom discussions to introduce students to the contexts of world communication by introducing them to the use of various accents or varieties of English. The research also emphasizes the presence of teacher agency in the classroom practices. Although most teachers are receptive to the incorporation of Global Englishes views, institutional forces like curricular programs and assessment programs tend to restrict the scope of application of such views. Because of this, in many cases teachers have been convinced to take a middle way where Standard English is the main instructional model, with small exposure to other forms of English provided by way of supplementary activities. In general, the results indicate that the pedagogical implementation of Global Englishes in Bangladesh is slowly developing but needs to be supported at the institutional level. To implement Global Englishes in ELT, teacher training, curriculum and testing approaches will have to be reformed in order to more accurately reflect the global realities of English language use.