Radboud University
CLUE Paper
Diminishing negative evaluations of non-native speakers:
Exploring the effectiveness of prejudice control interventions in
hiring EMI lecturers
Cross-cultural language use in English
, Abstract
In an era with growing numbers of non-native English-speaking lecturers in English medium
instructed (EMI) classes, it has become increasingly important to address the accent-based
discrimination experienced by many non-native speakers. As accented speakers are commonly
negatively perceived in terms of comprehensibility and attitudinal evaluations, this study aimed
to examine the impact of explicit and implicit prejudice control measure on the evaluation of
slightly and moderately Dutch-accented speakers by Dutch listeners in an EMI hiring context.
A total of 194 Dutch participants were recruited for this study. Each participant was randomly
assigned to one of three prejudice control conditions (explicit, implicit, no message) and asked
to evaluate an audio recording of a speaker with either a slight or moderate accent, generated
through the utilization of a verbal-guise technique. Prejudice messages were not found to have
a consistently positive effect in reducing negative evaluations. Nevertheless, implicit control
was shown to have a limited effect on the evaluation of moderately accented speakers in terms
of status and likability. The present study is adding to the growing literature of accent-based
biases in EMI context and highlights the urgent need for future research to understand the
nuances of prejudice interventions.
CLUE Paper
Diminishing negative evaluations of non-native speakers:
Exploring the effectiveness of prejudice control interventions in
hiring EMI lecturers
Cross-cultural language use in English
, Abstract
In an era with growing numbers of non-native English-speaking lecturers in English medium
instructed (EMI) classes, it has become increasingly important to address the accent-based
discrimination experienced by many non-native speakers. As accented speakers are commonly
negatively perceived in terms of comprehensibility and attitudinal evaluations, this study aimed
to examine the impact of explicit and implicit prejudice control measure on the evaluation of
slightly and moderately Dutch-accented speakers by Dutch listeners in an EMI hiring context.
A total of 194 Dutch participants were recruited for this study. Each participant was randomly
assigned to one of three prejudice control conditions (explicit, implicit, no message) and asked
to evaluate an audio recording of a speaker with either a slight or moderate accent, generated
through the utilization of a verbal-guise technique. Prejudice messages were not found to have
a consistently positive effect in reducing negative evaluations. Nevertheless, implicit control
was shown to have a limited effect on the evaluation of moderately accented speakers in terms
of status and likability. The present study is adding to the growing literature of accent-based
biases in EMI context and highlights the urgent need for future research to understand the
nuances of prejudice interventions.
