ASEAN ELF: ATTITUDES AND IDENTITIES 

OF FILIPINO TERTIARY STUDENTS

MARIA RITA GEEZEL S. TORRES

Chapter 1: Introduction

The opening of the Philippine’s borders within the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) region, together with the promotion of increased student mobility and of
international linkages, would result to even greater exposure of the country’s students to
students, teachers, and researchers from different parts of the world, the majority of who are
speakers of English as a lingua franca (ELF). Recognizing the vital role of ELF in the ASEAN
community, this study would like to explore and understand the students’ attitudes towards ELF. 
Jenkins (2007) points out the importance of conducting such studies “given what is known about
the effects of language on social judgments…and the vast number of ELF speakers who may be
at the receiving end of prejudice based on the language they use” (p. 65). With the growing
number of students from the ASEAN Plus Three countries coming to the University of the
Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), it is crucial that due attention is paid to the study of UPLB
students’ attitudes towards ELF, as these attitudes may also reflect their attitudes towards ELF
speakers. 
Similarly, seminal works on language attitudes are concerned with the effect of
contextual variables on attitude formation. Baker (1992) pointed out that no comprehensive list
of such potentially influential contextual variables presently exists. Considering such gap in
research, Starks and Paltridge (1996) recommended that providing detailed social information of
the participants would be beneficial for researchers conducting surveys on language attitude. 
Hence, the proposed study also will examine the effect of certain contextual variables on
language attitudes. 
Equally important and inseparable from language attitude research is the study of
linguistic identity.  Identity, like language, is never static. As Llamas and Watt (2010) noted,
language and identity are “constantly shifting and being re-negotiated in response to the ever-
changing context of our interactions” (p. 1). As more and more opportunities for international
cooperation and linkages come into the country, brought by ASEAN Integration 2015, it is also
just as important to examine the identity(ies) revealed by the students when engage in
communication with foreign counterparts.
Thus far, much of the earlier works on ELF research are concentrated on exploring
attitudes and identities separately. The present study would like to investigates the learners’
attitudes towards ELF while examining the identities manifested in these attitudes. Jenkins
(2007) explained that seminal works on linguistic attitude reveal certain ambiguities when it
comes to perceptions about ELF in general. However, she further noted that it is certain that
many teachers and learners hold entrenched attitude towards native-speaker English. Moreover,
she suggested that “these attitudes…have to do with identity” (p.197). In light of the
opportunities and challenges presented by ASEAN Integration 2015, the present study deemed it
appropriate to survey the students’ attitude towards ELF, the effect of certain contextual
variables on their attitudes, and the manifestation of their identities.
Statement of the Problem
In light of the above-mentioned considerations, this study aims to examine the attitudes
and identities of Filipino students at the University of the Philippines Los Baños toward English
as a lingua franca in Southeast Asia. More specifically, it addresses the following questions:
1. Do contextual variables such as students’ self-perceived English proficiency and
interracial friendship have a significant influence on their attitudes toward ELF in
Southeast Asia?
2. What identities manifest in their attitudes toward ELF in Southeast Asia?
Significance of the Study
The global spread of English and the emergence of ELF have implored many linguists
and scholars to re-examine the role and status of the English language in the international
domain. Furthermore, there are evidences showing a “bleed-through between attitudes to a
language and speakers of a language” (Meyerhoff, 2011, p. 72). It was observed that people
make powerful inferences about other people basing it on the manner they talk. People’s
attitudes to different language varieties influence the way they perceive the individuals who use
such varieties. Evidences also show a strong connection between language and identity,
explaining how identities are reflected or manifested through people’s use of and attitude
towards language. Thus, as English continues to become the global lingua franca, it is critical to
explore the emerging attitudes and identities of the learners towards ELF. 
By identifying the prevailing language attitudes of Filipino learners towards ELF in
ASEAN context, the present study provides a comprehensive picture of the current attitudes of
the Filipino learners towards English as it is used for global communication. Moreover, language
is known to be a marker of identity, and accordingly any attitude towards a language may also be
an expression of identity. Thus, by looking at the possible identities manifested in these attitudes,
the study also provides certain understanding of how these attitudes are formed.
Second, the study ascertains the possible effects of these language attitudes on our
students’ social judgments. As mentioned earlier, people often make powerful inferences
towards others from the way they talk. By identifying the students’ attitudes towards ELF, the
study also offers insights on our students’ perceptions towards ELF speakers and how these will
affect future contacts with ELF speakers. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of the identities
manifested by the students’ attitudes also gives us an idea of what kind of identity(ies) our
students opt to display when engaged in interactions with Southeast Asian neighbors. 
The third significance is very much related to the previous and will be of great interest to
the language policy makers and educators of the country.  The present study may also provide
information with regard to the readiness of Filipino students to the challenges posted by ASEAN
Integration 2015. As the country will be more open to student mobility programs and
international linkages brought by ASEAN Integration, more and more Filipino students will be
exposed to students and teachers coming from different parts of the world, the majority of who
do not share our own first language. Communication will definitely be of vital and critical
importance for the success of any activity promoted by ASEAN Integration.  Thus, by exploring
our students’ attitudes towards ELF, the study may gauge the readiness of the students,
communication wise, to ASEAN Integration 2015; while understanding the identities manifested
in these attitudes, the study may give practical insights as to how these identities can be
capitalized to further prepare the students to the challenges brought by this integration.
 Consequently, by understanding the students and by assessing their readiness to ASEAN
Integration, the results of the study may also aid in the development of strategic plans,
specifically in language education and policy, that will help the country fulfill its commitments
to ASEAN Integration 2015. The present study might yield results which may suggest an
incorporation of some new ways of looking at the English language, specifically on the new
status of English as a global lingua franca. And while language policy and planning may also
include social dimensions, exploring students’ attitudes and identities towards ELF will be of
significant value in reviewing the country’s current language policy vis-à-vis the current
challenges put forth by ASEAN Integration. 
The present study may also yield results that may help inform the current pedagogical
practices to the teaching of English inside the classroom. Undoubtedly, English as a native
language still is the dominant orientation in English language teaching (ELT) practices and
materials, where the concepts of correctness and appropriateness are still driven by native
speaker standards.  However, the emergence of ELF presents a completely different way of
looking at the role and status of the English language. The investigation of both attitudes and
identities will be of significant value in examining the role and status of a particular language in
a given context. Thus, unearthing the students’ attitudes towards ELF and the identities
manifested by these attitudes may provide insights on how students perceive and understand this
current role and status of English as a global lingua franca. This in turn may afford educators and
policy makers insights as to whether students find the relevance of learning ELF to their own
communication context. Consequently, this may also address the ongoing debate as to whether
ELT should incorporate some general ELF-oriented principles in the classroom. 
Lastly, the present study may be of great significance to both UPLB’s continued efforts
to answer to the challenges of ASEAN Integration 2015 and the teaching of COMA104 course in
UPLB. UPLB is committed to strengthening its ties with ASEAN Plus Three counterparts, and
exploring and understanding our very own students’ attitudes and identities towards ELF might
provide us better strategies to keep these ties going. For the teaching of the COMA 104 course,
as previously mentioned, ELF is one of the topics covered in this course; however, no exhaustive
description of ELF (e.g. its framework or linguistic features) is included in the classroom
discussion. The results of the study may provide valuable information to the importance of
incorporating a more comprehensive discussion of ELF in the COMA104 class. 
It is hoped that the study will contribute to the growing literature on the study of ELF in
Southeast Asia, leading to a better understanding of the nature of ELF, which may eventually
lead to a more informed language policy making and language teaching.
Definition of Terms
The following definitions are provided to eliminate confusion and to provide a uniform
operational definition of specific terms. The terms are defined as how it will be used in this
study.
Attitude - a summary evaluation of an object or thought (Bohner & Wanke, 2002) and a
psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of
favor or disfavor (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993)
Contextual Variables – also known as environmental effects, refer to social experiences or
contexts such as language background, type of youth culture experienced, type of school
attended that affect attitudes (Baker, 1992)
English as a Lingua Franca - a means of communication between people who came from
different first language backgrounds (Jenkins, 2012)
Identity – a person’s understanding of his/her relationship to the world, how that relationship is
constructed across time and space, and how people understand their possibilities for the future
(Norton, 1997)
Individual/Personal Identity – the differentiated, individuated self-concept (Brewer & Gardner,
1996)
Instrumental Attitude – an attitude to a language that is mostly self-oriented and individualistic
(Baker, 1992)
Integrative Attitude- an attitude to a language that is mostly social and interpersonal in
orientation (Baker, 1992)
Interracial Friendship – refers to the learner’s contact or connection with foreign nationals
Self-Perceived Proficiency – is the reflection of the learner’s perception of his/her proficiency in
the target language (Mckenzie, 2010 citing Dewaele, 2005)
Relational Identity – the self-concept derived from connections and role-relationships with
significant others (Brewer & Gardner, 1996)
Collective Identity – the concept of social identity defined in terms of prototypical properties that
are shared among members of a common ingroup (Brewer & Chen, 2007) 
Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature
Language attitude studies toward ELF
One of the earliest studies on ELF attitudes, and one that is frequently cited, is that of
Timmis (2002). The study looked into both the teachers’ and students’ attitudes, arguing that
during the study was conceptualized, the classroom perspective regarding this issue has not been
heard as of yet. Timmis initial point of argument was whether students should still conform to
native-speaker (NS) norms amidst the increasing use of English in international communication
contexts. For this study, he was able to collect about 400 student-responses from 14 different
countries and 180 teacher-responses from 45 countries, which include native speakers of English.
The questionnaire focused on investigating the participants’ attitudes towards pronunciation,
standard grammar, and informal spoken grammar. In the questionnaire were paired statements
that participants were to evaluate. A sample of these paired statements is provided below:
Student A: ‘I can pronounce English just like a native speaker now.
Sometimes people think I am a native speaker.’ 
Student B: ‘I can pronounce English clearly now. Native speakers and non-native
speakers understand me wherever I go, but I still have the accent of my country.’
7 Please underline one answer.
Would you prefer to be like Student A or Student B?
 Student A Student B
(Timmis, 2002, p. 242)
The teachers’ questionnaires were the same, but with a ‘no preference’ option included.
Responses from both teachers and students revealed that participants still prefer to conform to
NS norms; however, teachers, especially native speakers, seemed less attached to these norms
than the students. Interviews were also conducted to understand further the participants’ choices
in the questionnaire. Timmis noted that most of the students believe NS norms as “benchmark of
achievement” (p. 243), and some of the teachers still believe that “NS competence is the
benchmark of perfection” (p. 243). Timmis’ study is considered to be the pioneer work in ELF
attitude studies. However, the study failed to present a qualitative picture since the result and
discussion were drawn solely on statistical analysis of a series of binary choices. Also the
inclusion of statements referring to attitudes towards native English speakers’ informal speech
may have complicated the interpretation of the results. Timmis also admits that the study cannot
be considered a representative of the overall state of opinion among teachers and students.
Nevertheless, beyond all these, the results of Timmis’ investigation still raised a very intriguing
issue on ELF attitudes and thus called for a more in-depth study in the field.
ELF attitude studies that came after Timmis’ focused on investigating practicing
teachers’ and learners’ attitudes towards ELF, separately. In Switzerland, Murray (2003)
conducted a survey study on Swiss teachers’ “general reception of Euro-English, as well as their
attitudes to changes in native-speaker prestige and power that a larger role for Euro-English in
ELT [English language teaching] might entail” (p. 153). The questionnaire was sent to private
and state school teachers in three main language regions of Switzerland, those of who speak
German, Italian, and French. With the two-fold aim of the study, the questionnaire was divided
into two parts. The first part consisted of six statements related to issues on authority and power
associated to Euro-English, which teachers had to indicate their level of agreement or
disagreement on a 5-point scale. The second part sought respondents to categorize the
acceptability or unacceptability of the 11 statements in terms of the grammatical and lexical
particularity of Euro-English.  Murray received 253 returned responses. The results of the survey
showed that the majority of the respondents favored “communication over error-correction” (p.
159) and a respect to non-native varieties of English like Euro-English. Murray, on the other
hand, indicated the doubt among the teacher-respondents on giving learners the freedom to
choose their own language models and on the inclusion of sample non-native communicative
events in academic books. It is, however, the non-native speaker teachers who responded more
adversely towards Euro-English compared to the native speakers, a result that is consistent to
those of Timmis’. Murray explained that:
Europeans, including the Swiss, probably need to become more aware of the new
functions of English in their midst before they are ready to accept anything other
than an ENL (English as Native Language) target. One thing is, however, certain:
if such a shift ever occurs, it will be non-native speakers of English – both
learners and teachers – who decide (p. 162).
With this, Murray aptly concluded that the possibility to shift away from native speaker English
norm is still some time off. Although her study was consistent of Timmis’ results, Murray’s
study presented more refined insights on non-native speaker-teachers attitudes toward ELF. The
study utilized a qualitative approach to its research design, and thus enabling Murray to compare
responses of the teachers who have different first languages. This gave an even more focused
discussion on the status of English as a lingua franca.
 Basing on her comprehensive review of available literature on ELF attitude studies,
Jenkins (2007) noted that “the reality of the spread of ELF seems so far not to have led to a
change in attitude among ELT [English language teaching] professionals towards the English
language” (p. 147). She further explained that this adverse reception to ELF by non-native
speakers-teachers can be reflected to their seemingly high attachments to NS norms and their
deep prejudice to NNS English varieties. To understand the reason for such attachment and
prejudice, Jenkins launched her own comprehensive study on attitude to ELF among teachers.
She conducted three different studies: (1) An analysis of written texts  (articles published in
academic journals) and spoken discussions (at MA seminars and conference workshops) about
ELF; (2) A questionnaire following folk linguistics methodology administered to mostly NNS
English teachers; and (3) Semi-structured interviews with NNS English teachers. The third study,
however, focused on exploring ELF identities. The discussion of third study will be included on
the succeeding section on the review of identity studies. Below is a review of the first two studies
conducted by Jenkins (2007).
For the first study, Jenkins conducted an analysis of both written texts and spoken
discussions. Jenkins explored the teachers’ attitudes towards ELF by analyzing the beliefs
overtly articulated in three different articles and the manner these attitudes were expressed (e.g.
lexical choices, use of metaphors and repetition). The written data used for the study was taken
from widely available published articles on ELF, which Jenkins considered as “representative
and typical of those currently being expressed by the vast majority of English language teachers
and teacher trainers” (p.112). The first of the three articles talks about ELF in general while the
second article talks about ELF with a specific focus on lexicogrammar. The third article focuses
the discussion on ELF accent and pronunciation. Analysis of the written texts revealed that the
three authors viewed ELF as “a deficient kind of English”, which is highly characterized by
language errors, and that ENL is still the proper and correct English for second language
speakers. On the other hand, the spoken texts analyzed for this study were taken from
discussions among NS and NNS teachers about ELF and Lingua Franca Core (LFC) on five
different occasions, most of which took place during masters program classroom sessions and
conference workshops. And just like in the written texts, analysis of the spoken texts revealed a
certain kind of attachment to NS English norms, and view of ELF as an incorrect variety of
English. Jenkins concluded that both the written texts and spoken discussion revealed the
following:
 how difficult most of these teachers of English find the concept of ELF in
general and ELF accents (especially the notion of core/non-core) in particular;
 how closely and instinctively they identify with a NS English norm, regardless
of whether they themselves are NSs or NNSs;
 how reluctant they are to disassociate notions of English correctness from
English nativeness;
  an inability to assess intelligibility and acceptability from anything but a NS
standpoint
 how they intuitively regard NS English as being more widely understood
regardless of its context of use.
(Jenkins, 2009a, p. 20)
Jenkins’ second study utilized a questionnaire sent to teachers from 12 countries, which
include Austria, Brazil, China, Finland, Germany, Greece, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden,
Taiwan, and Canada (where many NNSs are temporarily staying). The questionnaire intends to
get teachers’ perception towards ELF accents. The method used for the study was perceptual
dialectology, which “aims to reveal people’s…beliefs about different language varieties by
means of exploring how they overtly categorize and judge those varieties” (p.148). 
Accompanied by a map, Jenkins questionnaire was divided into four different questions.
Question 1 asked respondents to comment on the pre-selected accents shown in the map while
Question 2 asked respondents to comment on any other English accents that they are familiar
with. Choosing from all possible English accents they know, respondents are now asked in
Question 3 to select and label what they believe for them as the best English accents. Lastly,
Question 4 asked respondents to rate in a 6-point scale the ten pre-selected accents in Question 1
for their degree of correctness, acceptability, pleasantness, and familiarity. The study yielded a
total of 326 respondents. Results of the study revealed that NS accents (specifically UK and US
accents) are still highly favored by the majority of the respondents, especially those coming from
expanding circles. This is so, as Jenkins explained, because of these accents’ perceived
correctness and intelligibility. Jenkins’ respondents revealed that correctness, pleasantness, and
acceptability for international communication hold the strongest positions for considering the
‘best’ English accents, and that correctness is regarded as the most important basis for assessing
English accents.  
Jenkins’ studies presented entirely different methodologies in exploring attitudes towards
ELF compared to the previous studies earlier cited. The study utilized an even more qualitative
approach and a more focused discussion on ELF by limiting the scope to the concept of accent
and phonology. 
The above-cited studies explored the attitudes of teachers towards ELF and how of great
importance it is to English language teaching. However, it is also of equally critical importance
to explore and to investigate the attitudes learners have towards ELF.  In 2011, Xu and Van de
Poel surveyed the attitudes of Flemish university students towards ELF. Recognizing the
functional notion of ELF, the study sought to understand how a sample of Flemish university
students experience and perceive the emerging status of ELF as they engage with English both
inside and outside the academic community.  The study invited 69 second-year undergraduate
students from University of Antwerp in Flanders. Flanders is the Dutch-speaking portion of
northern Belgium. Most of the respondents are of Belgian nationality, who learnt English for
about seven years in secondary and tertiary education. The questionnaire was divided into three
sections. Part I asked for the respondent’s personal profile while Part II surveyed the
respondent’s contact with English both inside and outside their university life. Part III was
composed of 28 statements to which the respondents had to rate their level of agreement in a 5-
point Likert scale. The statements reflect the following issues: “perceptions of underlying
motivation for learning English; ownership of English as well as the varieties of English; inter-
action with native and non-native interlocutors; focus of learning; and opinions about ELF
communication” (p. 264). Results of the survey questionnaire demonstrated the students’
recognition of the functional tool of English as a major means for international communication.
However, students’ responses also revealed that, even beyond the signs of acceptance of ELF,
students still maintain a strong belief on native standard norms and an aspiration to sound native-
like. Students also expressed a sense of inferiority to native speakers. The authors concluded that
this gap between the ideological perception towards ELF and the realities of the
learning/teaching practices in Flanders call for a deeper attention to the growing awareness of
ELF. Xu and Van de Poel study presented yet another intriguing result, this time, on learners’
attitudes towards ELF; however, the sample population used in the study is considered relatively
small for an attitude study, thus questioning the representativeness of the results.
Also in Belgium, a study was conducted by De Meerleer (2012), exploring the attitudes
of speakers towards ELF. The study has a three-fold aim: (1) explore the beliefs and attitudes of
speakers towards ELF in the context of international communication; (2) explore the attitudes
towards native and non-native English accents; and (3) explore if ELF speakers of different
mother tongues hold different attitudes towards ELF and native and non-native English accents.
Belgium has two different linguistic communities – Walloons (French-speaking) and Flemings
(Dutch-speaking). This language divide led to different language policies being followed by the
two communities. The study intended to investigate if such factor may influence speakers’
attitudes towards ELF to vary. The study also used a survey questionnaire presented to 59
respondents, 31 Flemings and 28 Walloons. The questionnaire was divided into three major
sections: a verbal guise test, a questionnaire on beliefs and attitudes and a background
questionnaire. For the verbal guise test, respondents were asked to fill out an 11-item
questionnaire, asking them to rate the four audio fragments representing four different accents
(American, British, Flemish, and French) based on a number of characteristics. The survey
questionnaire consisted of 37 statements expressing attitudes and beliefs towards ELF and ELF
pronunciation and communication. Respondents are to indicate their degree of agreement and
disagreement on a six-point Likert Scale. The third part asked for the respondents’ background
information including name, gender, age, language background, and previous English
experience. Results of the study reveal an overall positive view on English and on native speaker
accents. However, the majority of the participants do not view “native models of pronunciation
as necessary or desirable goals” (p. 63). They asserted that what is important in any
communicative events is the ability to be understood by the people you are communicating with.
The respondents also have a general awareness of the new role and status of English as a
language for global communication, and believe that English should be taught in schools so they
can utilize it for “efficient international communication” (p.66). Again, although this study
presented a very comprehensive review of learners’ attitudes towards ELF by looking at a
number of factors, the number of respondents is still considered low and results of the study may
not be an ideal representation of the whole populace.
Lastly, Ploywattanawong and Trakulkasemsuk (2014) conducted a study to explore and
understand Thai graduate students’ attitudes towards ELF in the ASEAN. Recognizing that the
ASEAN community offers a unique setting that showcases the use of English as a lingua franca,
the authors asserted that all ten member states “integrate their mother tongues and generate new
features of English in their own ways” (p. 144). The study aimed at investigating how Thai
students accept and understand these distinct features of ASEAN English. With a focus on ELF
grammatical features, the study asked its 50 respondents to rate the given grammatical features in
terms of their acceptability and understandability. The grammatical features examined in the
study and were found as shared features among ASEAN members were use of articles, pronouns,
verb forms, prepositions, number categorization of nouns, and the inversion of subject and verb
in question form. The questionnaire consisted of two parts – the first part seeking respondents’
personal information and the second part eliciting respondents’ attitudes towards the shared
grammatical features of ASEAN ELF. The respondents evaluated a total of 24 sentences in terms
of acceptability (Good-Average-Bad-No Comment Scale) and understandability (Difficult-
Average-Easy-No Comment Scale). Results revealed overall neutrality in terms of acceptability,
meaning the grammatical features are neither accepted nor rejected. However, despite the
indecision of accepting or rejecting the grammatical features of the ASEAN, the respondents
categorized ASEAN ELF as easy to understand. This means that Thai students think that
ASEAN grammatical features do not cause any difficulty in terms of the understandability of the
message being conveyed.  The authors concluded that “the possibility that if Thais and other
ASEAN English users have more exposure to ASEAN ELF’s distinct features together with the
idea of lingua franca, they will gradually accept them and, as a result, an ASEAN ELF model
could exist and thrive in the region” (p. 155). Ploywattanawong and Trakulkasemsuk’s study is
considered to be the most relevant and related to the present study. The context chosen for this
study is basically the same as the present study, both recognizing the uniqueness of the ASEAN
context in the study of ELF. However, just like the previous two studies, the sample population
in this study is very limited and thus affecting the study’s representativeness.
In summary, it was found from the cited studies above that attitudes towards ELF still
vary among non-native speakers of English. A great majority of NNSs still hold a positive
attitude towards native English and believe that native English is still the most favorable variety.
However, evidence also shows that a number of NNSs have already recognized ELF as a useful
tool for international communication and that an even greater number of them believe that
intelligibility is far more important than pronunciation in communication between people of
different linguistic background. It was also mentioned in the literature review that these linguistic
attitudes may greatly influence people’s social judgments. With the growing opportunities for
international communication, it is definitely necessary to further examine learners’ attitudes to
ELF, specifically in the ASEAN context.
Identity studies and ELF
Another closely related topic to language attitude research is the study of identity. This
section presents and reviews the relevant studies conducted to explore and investigate identity in
relation to English as a lingua franca.
As mentioned earlier, one of the three studies conducted by Jenkins (2007) focused on
exploring ELF identities. Her comprehensive review on available literature on ELF language
attitude research and the result of her two previous studies involving ELF attitudes revealed that
the majority of non-native speakers still believe that “NS English…is the most desirable and
most appropriate kind of English for international communication” (p.197). Jenkins suggested
that the concept of identity has a big influence to these attitudes. Thus, her third study focused on
investigating how the participants’ identity choices in ELF contexts are influenced by their own
past and present experiences through the use of in-depth semi-structured interviews. Most of the
interviews lasted for about an hour; however the length of the interview still was directed by the
“participants’ desire to speak” (p.207). The seventeen participants were all female NNS teachers
who are from China, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, and Ukraine. All
teacher-participants were considered proficient English speakers. The interviews were
transcribed and coded based on recurring themes. Four themes emerged when coding the
interviews: (1) accent attitudes; (2) accent beliefs; (3) perceived effects of accent-related
experiences; and (4) teaching ELF accents. Results of the study revealed that teacher-participants
have varying feelings towards expressing an L1 identity in their English accents. However, a
great majority of these teachers expressed a positive attitude towards promoting a sense of a
community among ELF speakers. Jenkins concluded that:
Past experiences, combined with factors in their present situation, and judgments
about the effect of their accent on their teaching careers, seemed to exert a strong
 influence on the interview participants’ attitudes to their accents and, in turn, on
their choice of accent identity (p. 231).
This explains why the teacher-participants of Jenkins’ study showed mixed feelings in
expressing a certain L1 identity in their L2 accents. Jenkins, here, presented yet another detailed
discussion of her study, this time, on ELF identity. However, the number of teacher- participant
in the study is still considered relatively low, especially when considering the generalizability of
the findings obtained.   
In Europe, a study was conducted by Bas (2010) to understand the identity phenomenon
as reflected in the use of English as a lingua franca. The study focused its investigation on how
identities, specifically national and gender, are negotiated by ELF speakers and to what extent
are these identities shifted given a change in communication context. The data used for analysis
was taken from the Vienna-Oxford International Corpus of English (VOICE), a collection of
recorded conversations among ELF speakers in Europe. Eight transcribed interactions (both
between Europeans-only and mixed group of participants) were selected for this study. Results of
the study revealed that the participants show a strong bond with their national identities
whenever engaged in an interaction. Furthermore, analysis of the interaction revealed that
participants use ELF as a tool to function successfully during international communication. The
author concluded that “ELF not being a threat to the participants’ linguistic and cultural
resources, but rather ELF being an intrinsic part of those participants’ lives” (p. 58-59). Bas’
study of identity also presented a detailed discussion of the concept of ELF, identity, and the
relationship between the two. However, since the data utilized for the study are transcribed
interactions provided by the VOICE project, the author had limited knowledge of the complete
context of interaction, which may have affected the generalizability of the result. Also, since the
interactions were recorded from speakers who are very much aware that they are being recorded,
the author admitted that it may have “affected the behavior and enactment of roles, or even
identities of the speakers.
In another study conducted by Park (2012), learners’ identities were explored using the
theory of three levels of self-construal: personal/individual, relational, and collective.  Survey
questionnaires were administered and interviews were conducted to investigate Korean ELF
learners’ identities. One hundred eighteen students from two different universities in Seoul
answered the survey questionnaire. Three of the 118 subjects were invited for the interview.
Most of the respondents had limited exposure to international communicative events, and that the
majority of them only used the English language during their general English language courses.
Also, the English language proficiency levels of the respondents were considered between
intermediate and upper intermediate. The questionnaire consisted of 24 situational statements
that students need to respond to. The responses were recorded and categorized according to the
three level of self framework. And to further understand the responses in the questionnaire,
interviews were conducted. Results of the study revealed that “factors governing learners’
behaviors are deeply rooted in the appreciation of interpersonal harmony” (p. 236). This means
that majority of the respondents behave accordingly because they value others’ opinions and that
a relational self is more important to them. However, a great majority of the respondents (74%)
believe that projecting an individual self is a key tool for personal success, especially in
improving one’s English proficiency. Park’s study explored the concept of identity guided by a
detailed theoretical framework and was able to tap a bigger sample population for the survey
questionnaire instrument. However, Park only selected three out of the initial 118 subjects to take
part on the interview. Again, here the representativeness of the result of the interview maybe
questioned and the comparison of the results of survey and the interview may have been greatly
affected. 
Lastly, an exploratory study was conducted in Hong Kong to investigate the perceptions
of the university students towards their identities in ELF contexts. Sung (2014) conducted in-
depth semi-structured interviews with thirty undergraduate students at a major university in
Hong Kong. The participants were purposely selected for the study because their extensive
experience and exposure to the use of English for international communication. The majority of
these participants were considered proficient English speakers, who received formal education in
English language for at least twelve years. The author conducted the interviews one-to-one using
Cantonese as the medium. Most of the interviews lasted for about an hour and follow-up
interviews were also requested for further clarifications. The interview covered several topics
from “participants’ perceptions of their identities when speaking English in lingua franca
settings, their experiences of using ELF, and perceptions of the identities of other speakers of
English” (p. 98-99). One important result of the study is that the majority of the participants
recognized and accepted their identities as non-native speakers of English, and did not mention
any feeling of inferiority due to this non-native speaker identity. Most of the participants also
view themselves as competent speakers of English in ELF communication settings and have
positive view towards ELF. And consistent to Bas’ respondents, Sung’s participants also
indicated that they find ELF a useful tool in communicating with people of different culture and
background and that it is important to maintain one’s cultural identity when engage in ELF
interactions. However, one critical result that should be highlighted here is the fact that:
…that identification with other L2 speakers of English within the ELF community
was somewhat selective and that different members within the ELF community
were not always perceived as equally ideal speakers of English (Sung, 2014, p.
108).
Sung’s study is yet another comprehensive review of the concept of identity vis-à-vis the
emerging conceptualization of ELF. In exploring identity, the present study would like to look
deeper into Sung’s discussion on selective identification among ELF speakers. He mentioned
that identification with certain groups of ELF speakers is perceived undesirable. This is an issue
the present study hopes to explore.
In summary, the above-cited studies on ELF identity indicate that many NNSs place great
importance to promoting a sense of community and interpersonal harmony when engage in ELF-
related interactions. Most of them believe that ELF is an important tool to function successfully
in an international communication. However, varying viewpoints emerged when it comes to
projecting an L1 identity in communicating with both NS and NNS of English. With these in
mind, the present study would like to explore the identity(ies) Filipino learners’ manifest in ELF-
related context.
Chapter 3: Methodology
Research Design
The proposed study will follow a mixed-method research design. The study will focus on
three different variables: (1) attitudes towards ELF; (2) contextual variables that may shape
attitudes; and (3) identities as manifested in the attitudes. The study will use both qualitative and
quantitative research methods. Qualitative research methodology will be used because of the
nature of the topic and because the data that will be used are mostly representative of social
phenomenon. Quantitative research methodology, on the other hand, will be used because the
study intends to explore and test existing theories on attitude and identity and to arrive at a
generalizable result through the collection and analysis of a numerical data.
Research Setting
The study will be conducted at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).
UPLB is one of the seven constituent universities of the University of the Philippines system.  It
is a coeducational, publicly funded academic, research and extension institution, which started
out as a College of Agriculture in 1909 and became a full-fledged university in 1972. The
university offers 29 Undergraduate degree programs, 70 Masters degree programs and 30
Doctoral degree programs and is headed by its Chancellor, Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez Jr.
The university is located in the towns of Los Baños and Bay in the province of Laguna.
UPLB is known for its influential role in Asian agriculture and biotechnology. It hosts a number
of local and international research centers, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and
South Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) to
name a few. 
The University of the Philippines, together with Ateneo de Manila University and De La
Salle University, is one of the three member universities of the ASEAN University Network
(AUN), an Asian university association founded by the member countries of the ASEAN.
Participants
The participants in the study will involve students of the Bachelor of Arts in
Communication Arts (BACA) degree enrolled 2 Semester of AY 2014-2015. Six
nd

Communication Arts classes will be selected to take part on the survey questionnaire while a
portion of this population will be invited to take part of the verbal-guise test and the interview.
For the interview, a total of 21 students will be invited to participate. The BACA students were
purposely selected for the study since they are the ones required to take the COMA104 –
Language and Culture course. 
Research Instruments
Three research instruments will be employed in this study: (1) survey questionnaire; (2)
verbal guise technique; and (3) semi-structured interview. This section provides the description
and rationale for each of the instrument used.
Survey Questionnaire
Questionnaires are printed forms of data collection, often employed when the study
requires answers to a variety of questions. Questionnaires are also used if the study aims to
collect data on phenomena which cannot be directly observed, such as attitude. A few limitations
are often tied up with the use of questionnaires. According to Seliger and Shohamay (1990), the
low response rate (specifically with mailed questionnaires) is the main problem in using
questionnaires. Low response rate may have a direct effect on the validity of the results. Also,
they noted that there can never be any assurance that respondents will truly understand the
questions/statements on the questionnaire, thus affecting the correctness and appropriateness of
their answers. However, the use of questionnaires also has its advantages. Since questionnaires
may not be administered face-to-face or one-on-one, questionnaires can be given to a large group
of respondents at the same time. Subjects also tend to easily share sensitive information once
anonymity is assured. Furthermore, as evident in the literature discussed in Chapter 2, the
majority of the attitude studies employ survey questionnaire. Because of the very nature of the
study and the need to tap a large number of sample populace, it is deemed appropriate to use a
survey questionnaire as one of the research instruments. 
The questionnaire will be divided into two sections. The first part will ask for the
respondents’ personal information specifically their self-perceived English language and
proficiency and their interracial friendships. This section will provide data that will answer
research question #1. The next part of the questionnaire will consist of 25 items which the
students will indicate their degree of agreement, with the choices ranging from ‘Strongly Agree’,
‘Agree’, ‘Undecided’, ‘Disagree’ to ‘Strongly Disagree’. The statements in the questionnaire
centered on the issues of opinions about English language, ELF communication, and use of ELF
for communication.  Items 1-7 will look at the students’ attitudes towards English and its new
status, while items 8-13 will look at students’ attitudes towards ELF communication in Southeast
Asian context. Moreover, items 14-19 will look into the instrumental attitudes of the respondents
while 20-25 will look at their integrative attitudes. The items in the questionnaire were adapted
from different questionnaires of previous attitude studies including De Meerleer (2012), Xu and
Van de Poel (2011), Kimura, Nakata, and Okumura (2001), Mun (2011) and Zanghar (2012).
The copy of the questionnaire is available at Appendix A. 
Verbal-Guise Technique
The second instrument for this study is the Verbal-Guise Technique (VGT). VGT is a
modified version of the matched-guise technique (MGT). MGT has been one of the standard
instruments being used when evaluating linguistic varieties. With these instruments, respondents
are asked to listen to a series of speech recordings and are asked to rate the speakers based on
given traits (e.g. fluency, intelligibility, etc.). The only difference between the two is that in
VGT, speech samples are provided by authentic speakers of each linguistic variety, while in
MGT, the speech samples are provided by only one person who can produce different speech
styles and accent. Just like any research method, VGT has its own limitations. VGT is often
viewed problematic because the respondents’ evaluations of the given speech samples may
potentially be influenced by non-linguistic factors like the speaker’s personality or voice quality.
Also there is the issue on varied perceptions. It was noted that there is no assurance the
respondents’ perception are reliable, as “a non-standard accent might conceivably be
misperceived as ‘bad grammar’ rather than non-standard accent” (Garrett, 2010, p. 58).
Nonetheless, VGT was still considered an instrument for the present study because the method is
rigorous for drawing concealed and suppressed attitudes. 
Using this instrument, the study wishes to investigate, by indirect means, the students’
attitudes towards ELF communication. The respondents will be asked to watch two videos
showcasing interactions from ELF speakers, instead of the usual practice of listening to an audio
file of a series of speech samples. As earlier mentioned, the study would like to explore students’
attitudes towards ELF communication. Since ELF is operationally defined as interaction in
English among speakers of different linguistic backgrounds, the present study opted to use video
files that captured interactions among ELF speakers. The video files, taken from the Youtube
website, were specifically selected since these involved interactions among ELF speakers from
the ASEAN Plus Three countries. The news editor of Channel News Asia Primetime Morning,
where the videos came from, explained that during interview questions are shared to the guests to
help them prepare for the interview. However, they also noted that, “There may be a few
questions shared but to keep the discussion spontaneous, there could be other questions that are
raised as the discussion goes along” (personal communication, May 28, 2015). This means that
although interview questions were pre-determined, the semi-structured format of the interviews
in the videos selected allows for a more naturalistic ELF interaction. The video files selected
involved more than two ASEAN ELF speakers. Table 4.0 below shows the length of and speaker
profile involved in the two video files:
Table 4
Description and Length of the VGT Videos

Speakers Profile Topic of the Conversation Length of the video

Video 1 Female, Korean Asian Cosplay Craze 10:29

Video 2 Male, Indonesian Horse Stamps Collection 8:10

Note. Video 1 from Jonnyffy. (2010, July 9). CNA Primetime Morning interview with Alodia &
Gregory Ho [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmvhZ8hR3N0
Video 2 from Lowis, Johnny. (2014, February 10). Horse stamps Johnny Lowis collection
[Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dJnZ5JyzHU
 
As mentioned, instead of evaluating individual speakers, the respondents while watching
the video files will be asked to evaluate the interaction of the speakers in relation to the different
personality traits using a seven-point semantic-differential scale. The selection of traits was still
based on the categorization of integrative and instrumental attitudes. However, Mckenzie (2010)
and Zhang (2009) explained that it is crucial that the traits to be used for evaluation shall be
carefully examined to make sure that these traits are meaningful and relevant to the community
under investigation. Thus, during the pilot test (which will be discussed in the next section), the
personality traits for the VGT questionnaire will be evaluated and examined. In the final
questionnaire, the positive and negative traits were positioned randomly to avoid any left-right
bias on the evaluators part (refer to Appendix B for a sample of the VGT questionnaire).
  Semi-structured Interviews
 The third part of the research instrument will employ another direct method to explore the
identities manifested by the students in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interview is usually
the main data gathering instrument employed in many identity studies. However, use of
interviews is often criticized by the elements of subjectivity and bias from the interviewer’s part,
which may have a direct influence on the interviewee’s responses. Also, administering such
instrument is considered difficult as it requires good interviewing skills, which may imply
extensive training for the interviewer. Still, interviews are highly favored instrument when
collecting data involving covert variables such as identity. According to Seliger and Shohamay
(1990), “interviews are personalized and therefore permit a level of in-depth information-
gathering, free response, and flexibility that cannot be obtained by other procedures” (p. 166).
This personalized nature of interviews allows researchers to obtain incidental information which
usually comes out as the interviews progress. Also, conducting interviews allow researchers to
probe for information and acquire data that have not been predicted. Hence, the third instrument
for the study is the semi-structured interview. 
The interviews covered several areas including the respondents’ general view of the role
and status of English as a common language for communication among speakers from Southeast
and East Asia, their experiences in using ELF, and their perceptions of their identities when
speaking in ELF settings. Some of the interview questions were adapted from Sung’s (2014)
study (Refer to Appendix C for the list of interview protocols).
Data Collection Procedures
The data collection will be divided into three parts: (1) survey questionnaire; (2) verbal
guise technique; and (3) interview. The discussion will follow the same order the instruments
were administered in the study.
The Survey Questionnaire
The first part of the study will utilize a direct method of eliciting students’ attitudes
towards ELF in the Southeast Asian context through the use of questionnaires. Six
Communication Arts classes will be asked to complete the survey questionnaire. Questionnaires
will be administered during class hours under the supervision of the researcher. Prior to the class
visits, the faculty-in-charge of each class will be notified in advance and will be asked to inform
the students of the planned visit in class. Students will be notified that taking part in the study is
voluntary. On the day of the survey administration, the students will be handed first the copy of
the study’s information sheet. This will allow the students to be more familiar about the nature of
the study being conducted and to understand the reason why their assistance is being needed. The
researcher will also give a brief introduction of the study. The participants will be given copies
of the consent form (See Appendix D for a copy of the form). Finally, copies of the survey
questionnaire will be handed over while the researcher explained in detail the instructions in
answering the questionnaire.
Verbal Guise Technique
A representative sample from the questionnaire population (a total of 15 students) will be
selected to take the VGT questionnaire.  The VGT will be administered in two separate sessions,
one with a group of eight student- respondents and the other one with a group of seven student-
respondents. At the start of each session, the researcher will make a brief introduction of the
study and explain the instruction for the second instrument. The participants will be given about
2-3 minutes to browse the questionnaire and read the task. A few questions will be entertained to
clarify the task at hand. Once the participants were ready, the first video will be played. Before
playing the second video, the participants will be given approximately 5 minutes to mark their
responses and complete the questionnaire.
Semi-structured Interview
A representative sample will be selected to take part on the third instrument. In order to
establish the link between language attitude and identity, a one-to-one correspondence between
the survey questionnaire and interview will be administered. This means that the participants that
will be invited for the interview are representative of integrative and instrumental attitudes.
Seven student-participants representative of integrative and instrumental attitudes, respectively,
will be invited for the interview. Another seven student-participants who will score the same
both for integrative and instrumental items will also be invited to take part in the interview. In-
depth semi-structured interviews will be conducted with the selected participants to understand
their views on their identities in ELF communication. All the interviews w will be audio-
recorded and will be conducted one-to-one with the researcher at the Department of Humanities,
UPLB. Participants will be encouraged to use the language they are most comfortable with when
answering the questions in during the interviews. Before every interview, students will be
handed the copy of the interview protocols to allow them to prepare before the actual recording.
The Pilot Study
Before the actual data gathering, a pilot test will be conducted for all three instruments.
Mckenzie (2010) asserted the importance of conducting a pilot study as it allows the researcher
to gather feedback with regard to the research instruments used and to determine if the
instruments accomplish the purpose for which they were designed. The pilot study will be
conducted at the University of the Philippines Los Baños with seven BACA students. 
Data Analysis Procedures
The data from the survey questionnaire will be coded and analyzed. A numerical scale
will be used in the survey questionnaire with a scale of 1 for Strongly Disagree and a scale of 5
for Strongly Agree. The study will utilize the descriptive statistics such as central tendency
measure (median scores) and variability measure (Inter Quartile Range or IQR) to see how
representative the students’ responses are. The median scores will be calculated to see which
among the responses the ‘likeliest’ response is. Also, the IQR will be used to measure the
dispersion of the data, more specifically to see whether the responses are clustered together or
scattered across the range of responses. Furthermore, the study will look into the prominent
percentage for each item in the questionnaire.
For the Verbal-Guise Technique, the most frequent rating given by the highest percentage
of respondents will be noted. This is done to showcase the representative responses of the whole
sample population. For the analysis part, a few responses will be transposed (e.g. lowest scores
to be converted to highest scores and vice versa) because of the random positioning of the
positive and negative traits in the questionnaire. This is done so that a value of seven is
representative of the most favorable rating while a value of one is representative of the least
favorable rating. Mckenzie (2010) noted a few guidelines in ensuring reliability and validity in
VGT data. First, a careful attention has been paid in picking the video stimuli for the guise test to
make sure that the videos showcase an authentic interaction among ELF speakers. Also, some of
the bipolar adjectives in the semantic differential scale had been reversed to avoid what
Mckenzie calls ordering effects, or the potential left-right bias. Lastly, Mckenzie stressed the
importance of selecting the most appropriate and relevant personality traits to be evaluated, as
this ensures the validity and reliability of the data that will be collected in a survey type
instrument. Thus, a pilot study will be conducted to make sure that selection of traits is properly
done.
As explained previously, the personal information section is included in the survey
questionnaire. Information like the respondent’s relationship with foreign nationals and self-
perceived English proficiency will be asked. These will provide data for the contextual variables
that may likely influence the formation of linguistic attitude. The data will be coded and
analyzed using STATA. Correlation analysis will be performed using Kendall’s Tau-b and with
the assistance of a professional statistician. Kendall’s Tau-b is chosen as the statistical technique
employed to measure the correlation between attitude and contextual variables for a number of
reasons. First, it was indicated that Kendall’s Tau-b is the most appropriate statistical technique
when measuring correlation between ordinal data such as the data collected in this study. Also,
Kendall’s Tau-b cannot be easily affected by extreme outliers. Lastly, Kendall’s Tau-b is
reported to be the most suitable statistical technique in measuring correlation when data contains
a number of tied ranks. The value of Kendall’s Tau-b ranges for 1.0 to -1.0’ whereas the positive
value indicates positive correlation and a negative value indicated a negative correlation. If the
computed value is zero, then it means that variables are independent of each other.  And in
testing the null hypothesis (Ho), the rule is: Reject Ho if p-value < alpha; Otherwise, fail to reject
Ho.
For the interviews, all conversations will be transcribed and transcripts will be coded and
categorized based on recurring themes that have emerged. To ensure the validity and reliability
of the qualitative data collected, the interview protocols will be carefully drafted to guarantee
that the questions prompt the types of responses expected for the study. Also, a pilot test will be
run with a relatively smaller number of participants to see whether the interview protocols are
appropriate for the purpose of the study. And lastly, the recurring themes used as a framework
for analysis will be repeatedly checked to ensure consistency in the data collected.