“To me, authenticity means credibility and correctness”: Encouraging Pre-Service Teachers to Re-Evaluate their Understanding of 'Authentic English' using Data-Driven Learning “To me, authenticity means credibility and correctness” : Inciter les enseignants en formation initiale à réévaluer leur compréhension de l'anglais "authentique" grâce à l'apprentissage basé sur les données En Fr

Résumé 0

Languages are known to vary greatly across different situational contexts of use. However, many teachers perceive language as a monolithic entity: teachers' beliefs of 'authentic English' in the classroom are often associated with dichotomous categorisation of 'correct' versus 'incorrect' grammar. These beliefs are often in direct contradiction with their desire to follow a communicative language teaching approach. To address this, a multiliteraciesaligned unit was designed. In addition to individual and group reflection, the unit revolves around a data-driven learning (DDL) activity to raise pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' awareness of situational language variation. It relies on corpus data and corpus-linguistic tools and methods to challenge participants' preconceived beliefs of 'authenticity' and 'correctness'. This study evaluates the outcomes of the unit as implemented in two iterations of a pre-service EFL teacher education seminar in Germany. To this end, students' responses to the unit's four asynchronous tasks are analysed using mixed methods. The analysis reveals a significant shift in participants' initial definitions of authenticity. Most identified DDL as beneficial for a more empirically grounded and differentiated understanding of 'authentic' and 'correct' language use. The results highlight the importance of integrating individual and collaborative, asynchronous and synchronous activities to tackle (pre-service) teacher beliefs. The findings may inform future pedagogical interventions challenging other entrenched beliefs in language education in both pre-and inservice teacher training. This is a preprint version of a chapter to be published in Blume, Carolyn (Ed.), Multiliteracies-aligned teaching and learning in digitally-mediated second language teacher education (Multiliteracies and Second Language Education). Routledge.