Departure from native speakerism in a Korean college English course: alternative paradigms and implications

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate how English native speakerism ideology is challenged in a Korean College English course, describing its manifestation in students’ relationships with English and presenting pedagogical interventions to counter it. This paper demonstrates how two theoretical frameworks – English as Lingua Franca and peripheral participation – were integrated to transform the curriculum, with particular focus on listening instruction. Design/methodology/approach Organized in three sections, the first introduces the author’s teaching context, defines native speakerism, and explains its impact on Korean university students. Section 2 demonstrates how the author integrated English as a Lingua Franca and peripheral participation frameworks into classroom practice to counter native speakerism, illustrating specific pedagogical interventions in listening instruction, a critical yet neglected domain in ESL pedagogy. The final section offers reflections on transforming the College English course and makes recommendations for English language educators. Findings The findings reveal that implementing the two frameworks effectively challenges native speakerism by repositioning students as legitimate English users rather than deficient learners. This approach enhanced student confidence and participation, especially in listening instruction, with students reporting greater engagement when building on partial understanding rather than striving for native-like comprehension. Originality/value The paper addresses two critical gaps in native speakerism research. First, while extensive literature critiques this ideology, few studies demonstrate concrete classroom interventions to counter it. This paper provides detailed, replicable pedagogical activities showing how native speakerism may be challenged. Second, it contributes a much-needed teacher narrative in the domain of native speakerism, sharing the author’s first-hand experience of curriculum transformation and offering valuable insights that theory alone cannot provide. Most importantly, it may inspire other educators to take action against native speaker ideologies through their practice.