“Discovering World Englishes has lessened my burden in English language education”

Colombian in-service English teachers reflecting on diversity, equity, and inclusion

Bibliographic Data

ID24238462
AuthorsAdriana González (0000-0003-2261-8912, Sunway University), Subhan Zein (0000-0003-3787-3211, Indonesia University of Education)
Year2026
Volume39
Issue2
Pages195-220
Publication date2026-10-19
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAILA Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-0213 • E-ISSN: 1570-5595
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/aila.25114.gon
OpenAlexW7222915950
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited48

The growth of World Englishes (WE) in Applied Linguistics has provided important contributions to English language education and teacher professional development. Critical frameworks in WE have raised awareness and inspired knowledge creation about linguistic diversity in contexts where local teachers have been marginalized for being non-native speakers of English. Contributing to the understanding of English use and English language education dynamics in the expanding circle, this study reports the findings of a qualitative study examining how a group of ten in-service Colombian English teachers appropriated the WE paradigm through their participation in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). Data included academic background, professional information, posts in online forums, and final reflections. Findings show that English teachers challenged their beliefs and the hegemonic national language education policy practices that have perpetuated discriminatory practices such as native speakerism and the marginalization of certain English varieties. Participants underscore how WE allowed them to reclaim their English language ownership and legitimacy as trans-speakers of English. The study argues that WE is a useful lens for advancing the discourse of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in language education, while underscoring the need to include WE in the professional development of English teachers in peripheral contexts.

diversity, equity, and inclusion · English language teaching · Expanding Circle · in-service teachers · language education policy · Linguistic diversity · MOOCs · native-speakerism · online teacher training · peripheral contexts · teacher professional development · World Englishes · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Multilingual Education and Policy · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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Open DOIOpen Access