Ke (2010) found that after students spent time studying or touring in inner-circle countries, they regarded English more as an American or British language.
Their confidence in English did not increase, though their proficiency level might have upgraded. They still had inferior feelings when speaking to NSs.
Some students even thought that their NS peers were much better overall based on their English level, neglecting the fact that English was their first language.
The myth developed from the tendency that more and more human knowledge and information have been conveyed in English, and most scientific and technological terms are now expressed in English.
English linguistic knowledge has gained importance and students' worldviews have been influenced by the unequal reality.
Unequal power relationships were reproduced through English.
From this perspective, ELT plays an important role in the development of students' self-identity. On the other hand, those who volunteered or attended international meetings in a non-English-speaking country reported increased confidence in their own English.
They found out that they were able to use English to communicate with other ELF users. They started to realize the important role of English as a lingua franca, and one student even regarded English as ‘basic literacy’ for all.
The study suggested that NNS–NNS interactions helped students develop new beliefs of the roles of English.