Abstract

AVALOS-RIVERA, Alys D.  and  CORCORAN, James. To Be or Not To Be Like a Native English Speaker: Ambivalent Beliefs and Ideology among English Teachers in Brazil and Mexico. RMIE [online]. 2017, vol.22, n.75, pp.1117-1141. ISSN 1405-6666.

The study of nonnative English speaking teachers’ beliefs is important due to the connection between such beliefs and pedagogical practice. While there have been several previous studies investigating language teachers’ beliefs, few have focused on Latin-American teachers of English. This article outlines two qualitative studies conducted in Mexico and Brazil with experienced teachers. We critically analyze teachers’ beliefs regarding their professional status in relation to (idealized) native speakers of English. Findings from both studies point to the potential influence of pervasive ideologies surrounding English native speaker superiority. Implications of these beliefs on teachers’ employment conditions and pedagogical practices are discussed followed by brief recommendations for critical language teacher education policy and practice aimed at challenging unequal relations of power in English language teaching across Latin America.

Keywords : Teachers’ beliefs; English language teaching; teacher education; teacher development; linguistic differences..

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