An investigation of secondary school students' awareness levels towards English as a lingua franca, world Englishes, and English accent

This study aims to analyze the 2018 Secondary Education English Curriculum within the framework of World Englishes (WE) and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), and to determine students' awareness levels regarding these concepts. Adopting a quantitative research model, three distinct awareness scales with proven validity and reliability regarding ELF, WE, and English accent were primarily developed. Data were collected from 441 secondary school students studying in Erzincan. The document analysis of the curriculum's general objectives, philosophy, and learning outcomes revealed that despite presenting a theoretical vision of English as a global lingua franca, the outcomes at the implementation level are predominantly based on Inner Circle (USA and UK) norms. It was found that standard language ideology is maintained, and linguistic diversity is neglected, particularly in pronunciation and listening outcomes. Quantitative findings showed that despite the curriculum's limitations, participants possess high levels of ELF awareness (X̄=4.08) and positive accent awareness (X̄=3.89). Students do not perceive speaking with a Turkish accent as a deficiency and prioritize intelligibility over aesthetic concerns. Analysis indicated that gender significantly affected accent awareness (favoring female students), and maternal education level influenced WE awareness. Furthermore, ELF awareness significantly predicted English academic achievement. Consequently, it is suggested that the curriculum be aligned with real-world communication needs and linguistic diversity.