When paradigms clash: the role of institutionalized varieties in language teacher education

ABSTRACT: This study explores the relationship between the theoretical study of institutionalized varieties of English (IVEs) and their application in teacher‐training programs. The first section of this paper applies concepts from the work of Michel Foucault and Clifford Geertz to the study of world Englishes. The second section reports on a survey of the curricula at 10 universities offering MATESL/MATEFL degrees. Finally, the paper describes a study comparing the attitudes of American MATESL students and African university students toward non‐native written discourse. The results of this study indicate that, while there is a nascent awareness of IVEs, a monomodel paradigm based on native‐speaker norms remains firmly entrenched in most teacher‐training programs and in the minds of many teachers themselves.