english-for-specific-purposes
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- PaperRELC Journal13 Jul 2026
Conceptualizing and assessing competence in English as a lingua franca context
Hyejeong Kim
This thematic review argues that current assessments fail to capture English as a lingua franca (ELF) communication and proposes using indigenous criteria from communities of practice. It advocates for a strong approach focusing on real-world task performance rather than language-specific aspects, and calls for evidence gathering on what experienced ELF users value in communication.
Original abstract
While the field of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has been growing, there is currently no assessment that fairly captures the nature of ELF communication. The necessity for such an assessment has been emphasized by some scholars, but concrete efforts to develop one have been slow. To stimulate discussion and evidence gathering, this thematic review examines ELF within the framework of communities of practice, highlighting key components of the theory to underscore the importance of learning in and through practice within these communities. The discussion then turns to indigenous criteria − that is what members of communities of practice actually value when evaluating or assessing their peers − which is highly relevant in English for specific purposes assessment. In fact, many ELF studies can be classified as contexts for English for specific purposes. By reviewing studies that explore indigenous criteria, we can gain a better understanding of how domain or non-language specialists determine what is important for performance or communication within their respective communities, as well as how these criteria differ from those perceived by language specialists or applied linguists. A strong approach (i.e., focusing on task performance in real-world contexts) is then suggested, as a weak approach (i.e., focusing on language-related aspects) is inadequate for assessing ELF interactions, based on characteristics described in both ELF studies and research on indigenous criteria in various English for specific purposes contexts. The discussion concludes with a call for evidence gathering on what experienced ELF users perceive as important for communication in ELF settings.