Who Wants EIL? Attitudes towards English as an International Language: A Comparative Study of College Teachers and Students in the Greater Taipei Area

Abstract

English as an International language (EIL) has been a major research topic of applied linguistics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language (TESOL) education since the last decade. 80% of the users of the English language in the world are non-native speakers (NNS), making the traditionally defined Native Speakers (NS) the minority group of this language. Speaking English varieties in inner, outer and expanding circle countries (Kachru 1985) were celebrated as an approach expressing personal and national identity. Accordingly, the fact of EIL has the potential to challenge the conventional ownership of English and to be a source changing teachers’ and learners’ sense of competence and expertise. There have been numerous studies and suggestions concerning how to teach English as an international language. However, little empirical research has been conducted to understand NNS English teachers’ and learners’ perception of the spread of English as an international language – particularly in those countries where English is a foreign language. EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers’ and learners’ perspectives are still lacking in the EIL studies that intend to generate possible repositioning for them in the TESOL industry. This research investigates how Taiwanese college students and teachers perceive the issues related to EIL. Based on 126 responded questionnaires from college English teachers and 529 from college students, this study presented collective data of Taiwanese NNS English teachers’ and learners’ attitudes towards the notion of EIL. The research analysis focuses on the comparison between teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards their command of English in different social context, their perception of NNS and NS English teachers’ teaching competence, and their attitudes towards the English educational policy of having NS English teachers in Taiwan. The findings of this study provide empirical insights into understanding how the notion of EIL will be perceived in EFL countries.