A Pedagogical Response to Native-speakerism in the Globalized Workplace: Suggestions for Workplace Writing/Communication Courses

Abstract

With the continued development of economic globalization, native-speakerism, with its biased claim of exclusive ownership by the so-called native speakers of English, has inevitably found its way into the globalized workplace, where English is used as an international working language. Despite growing criticism of native-speakerism in English education, there is a lack of research and scholarship on what EFL educators and teachers should do to tackle the challenges presented by this workplace reality. This paper offers a useful response to these challenges by putting forward some pedagogical suggestions based on an empirical investigation of the manifestation of native-speakerism in the globalized workplace. Workplace writing/communication courses are used as a case in point in the discussion of these pedagogical suggestions.