[ELTWeekly Volume 7, Issue 11 | May 4, 2015 | ISSN 0975-3036]
Marsh says, “ELT is being buffeted by a set of at least ten forces, sometimes simultaneously and with differing degrees of energy, across all sectors from pre-school to higher education.
These forces include the:
- ELT industries and the political forces alongside which they operate
- ELT testing and accreditation industry and the political forces alongside which it operates
- ELT professional associations, networks and organizations
- Educational technology-driven sector
- Political entities that demand improvement in English language learning outcomes within a given country or region
- Citizens and members of communities that demand access to quality English language learning for their children and young people
- Employers requiring higher levels of English language competence of staff
- Research sectors on language learning from within the neurosciences and other domains
- Higher education, vocational education training and other providers requiring higher levels of English language competence of incoming students
- Educational experts and entities focused on educational transformation across the curriculum, including the teaching and learning of English.
There is a high degree of convergence among these forces which impacts on countries and regions in different ways. What happens in one sector (such as primary level ELT) has a ripple effect on another (such as higher education ELT). Some of this impact is not necessarily conducive to timely change, and results in undue drag and turbulence, but there are examples of innovation and progress”.