ELF pedagogy and awareness: an action research applied to Italian tertiary students in ELF Skype interactions

Abstract

English today is the language of global communication and has gradually developed into a number of varieties shaped by speakers from different lingua-cultural backgrounds. This contribution discusses action research applied in an English language classroom of Italian and Spanish tertiary students with the purpose of exploring the open question of the legitimation of a less prescriptive, but more pragmatic, pedagogical space, where the teaching objective is constituted by the adoption of ELF-informed practices to foster learners’ ELF-awareness and confidence as intercultural speakers. From a pedagogical perspective, this contribution also encourages teachers to challenge the traditional WE teaching paradigm through an ELF-aware approach.