Students' reflections on native and nonnative English speaking teachers (original) (raw)

First Year University Efl Students' Perceptions and Preferences of English Language Native and Non-Native Speaker Teachers

2015

This study aims at investigating the perception and preferences of EFL university students in Saudi Arabia towards NTs and NNTs and to identify whom they prefer in teaching them each language skill. A modified copy of Baniabdelrahman's (2012) translated copy of a questionnaire which was built by Lasagabaster & Sierra (2005) was used to collect the needed data. The participants in the study consisted of Saudi first year university students (the preparatory year students at King Saud University, Kind Fahid University, and King Khalid University) in the first semester of the academic year 2013/2014. The cluster sampling method was used in choosing the students. The class was the unit of choice. The results of the study showed that there were significant interaction between the students' gender and their language level of proficiency. They also showed that there were no significant interaction between the students gender and the location of their university; there were no signif...

Turkish EFL learners’ perceptions of native English-speaking teachers and non-native English-speaking teachers in higher education

2016

The question of what makes a good teacher of English has aroused researchers’ interest for many years, and the existing studies comparing NESTs (native English-speaking teachers) and NNESTs (non-native English-speaking teachers) have focused mostly on students’ perceptions of these teachers without considering whether students have had any experiences with NESTs. Therefore, earlier research has backed the assumption that a NEST is by nature the ideal person to teach English. With a purpose to challenge this assumption, the current study, consisting of two phases, aims to explore in the first phase if there is a meaningful difference between Turkish EFL learners’ perceptions of NESTs and NNESTs on their first encounter with them. The second phase explores whether any changes have occurred in students’ preconceptions regarding NESTs within the course of time. The participants are 120 Turkish monolinguals from a private university. Quantitative data was collected through questionnaires consisting of Likert-scale items in both phases. An interview session was added to the second phase to obtain more in-depth insights into students’ perceptions. The findings of the first phase showed that overall, students had neutral perceptions of NESTs and NNESTs. However, in the second phase, the data analysed via qualitative content analysis demonstrated that students’ perceptions were found to have positively changed for NESTs, particularly in terms of personality dimension. In both phases, students perceived NESTs in linguistic and professional dimensions, and NNESTs in pedagogical dimension rather positively. Some implications and directions for further research are briefly discussed.

English Language Learners' Opinions of EFL Native and Nonnative Teachers

Academic Journal of Nawroz University

This paper aims at finding out the opinions of Kurdish English language learners of their native-nonnative teachers of English as a foreign language; identifying which group of teachers is more useful to them ; native or non-native English language teachers and in which language skills. The study has hypothesized that Kurdish university students show positive beliefs of native English language over nonnative English language teachers.In order to validate the objectives and hypotheses of the study, a questionnaire consisting of (14) items that included (9) general items and (5) items on the teaching of each of the following language skills grammar; vocabulary; pronunciation; listening ; reading and speaking was given to one hundred students studying English at four private universities in Kurdistan of Iraq. SPSS V.22 (Statistical Packages for Social Science) was used to determine the significant differences between native English language teachers and nonnative English language teachers of English as a foreign language as perceived by students at all levels of language learning skills item by item for all the (14)items used. The ANOVA 1 test was used to determine the difference and significance of the dimensions of the study. The study has revealed that, in general, students significantly preferred to have native English language teachers more than nonnative English language teachers. However, students significantly preferred nonnative English language teachers to native English language teachers in teaching them grammar. On the other hand, students thought that native English language teachers were better than nonnative English language teachers in teaching them speaking, pronunciation, vocabulary and listening.

Kemaloglu-Er, E. (2017). How university students perceive their native and non-native English speaking teachers. Journal of Education and Practice, vol. 8, 21-29. http://iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JEP/issue/view/3279

In several educational settings aiming to teach English as a foreign language, the myth of the superiority of native English speaking teachers (NESTs) over non-native English speaking teachers (NNESTs) seems to hold strong especially among students. Contrary to this, the present study, which investigated the perceptions of university students studying intensive English at an English-medium university in Turkey about NESTs and NNESTs, is a promising verification of the equality between two teacher groups in several pedagogical aspects. The data were collected by means of a 30-item questionnaire and focus group interviews. Both teacher groups were assessed with respect to four aspects: (1) in-class teaching roles, (2) in-class management roles, (3) in-class communication skills and (4) individual qualities. According to the findings, there is no significant difference between NESTs and NNESTs in terms of in-class teaching roles as well as in-class management roles. On the other hand, NESTs are perceived to be significantly better in in-class communication skills, show more favorable qualities and have more enjoyable lessons. In this context marked with the joint collaboration of NESTs and NNESTs, both groups are reported to display a sound partnership and high levels of professionalism. Keywords: Native English speaking teachers, Non-native English speaking teachers, NEST, NNEST

University Students ’ Perceptions of the Influence of Native and Non-native Teachers

2016

This paper reports the outcome of a study carried out in Qassim University with 169 Saudi male novice university students to obtain a deeper insight into their perceptions of their native English speaker teachers (NESTs) and non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs) in the English language classroom. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in two stages by means of students ’ questionnaires and interviews. The results reveal statistical significant difference in the respondents ' perceptions in favor of NESTs. Students showed more preference for NESTs as they go to higher levels. Students previous learning experiences may affect their general preference for NESTs since they were taught by both types of teachers. Subjects also exhibited an explicit preference for NESTs in relation to the teaching strategies adopted. However, the respondents showed moderately favorable attitudes towards NNESTs who provide a serious learning environment and a favorable response to lear...

Native and non-native speaker English language teachers in an EFL context: a study of teachers' self-perception, students' attitudes, and institutional regulations in Libya

2018

The main aims of this study are to investigate the attitudes of Libyan students towards Native and Non-native English language teachers in an EFL context, teachers' self-perceptions in relation to their teaching abilities, and institutional regulations related to hiring both teachers. In order to achieve the aims of this study adequately and precisely, a mixed methods research was implemented where qualitative and quantitative research instruments were used. Data was gathered from two language training centres at two different oil companies in Tripoli the capital of Libya in a period of five months through the distribution of questionnaires and conducting interviews. The results of this research showed that both teachers have their own advantages and disadvantages particularly when teaching in an EFL context. Most of the participants agreed that qualifications and experience are the key factors to judge teachers. However, there were other points to consider as the study showed on one hand that NESTs are better language speakers as they are fluent and accurate. They also have an original pronunciation. On the other hand, NNESTs are good grammar teachers as they went through the educational process. They are more sympathetic than NESTs and also they speak their students L1. Although everyone in the literature and in the study explicitly says that NESTs and NNESTs are equal but different, still there seems to be an implicit preference for NESTs in the comments and responses. For example, the valuing of fluency and proficiency and the focus on pronunciation are indirect ways of preferring NESTs over NNESTs. So, in a world where the concept of the native speaker has been challenged and where it may be unacceptable to express a blanket preference for native speaker teachers, certain attributes (e.g. pronunciation, fluency) become indirect ways of perpetuating the idea that the NEST is inherently better and for maintaining their advantage in the job market.

Apple vs. Mangosteen: A Qualitative Study of Students’ Perception towards Native and Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers

Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, 2020

Recruiting native English-speaking teachers to teach the target language is becoming a prevailing practice in many countries. Concerns arise in the field of ESL teaching due to this sharp increase in the number of inexperienced NEST teaching. While there is an influx of qualified Non-native English-speaking teachers (NNEST) globally, it is still much easier for untrained Native Englishspeaking teachers (NEST) to be employed. The present study investigated students" perspectives of both types of teachers and whether as time progressed will affect their respective views. This study was done in one of the schools in Malaysia. Data was collected through essay writing. The findings revealed that most of the students initially had negative perception towards NNESTs especially when it comes to teaching grammar and oral skills. On the other hand, the NESTs despite being viewed favorably at the beginning of the study, received an increase of negative receptions from students. Despite the different attributes shown by both types of teachers-they complement each other. Students agreed that collaborative teaching is a better way when addressing this dichotomous world of NESTs and NNESTs.

Saudi EFL Learners’ Perceptions about the Teaching of English by Native and Non- native English Teacher

Arab World English Journal

The issue of native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English speaking teachers (NNESTs) has been controversial in debates by all the stakeholders. There is a variation in the imparting of knowledge and working style by these two different groups of teachers due to their educational and cultural backgrounds. The main aim of the study is to investigate the students' positive or negative perceptions related to the learning of English by their NESTs & NNESTs at King Khalid University. Also, it does stand to answer the main question of this study that to whom do the learners in Saudi Arabia perceive as their ideal group of English language teachers among their NESTs & NNESTS at various levels? The study is significant specifically to investigate the Saudi EFL learners' preferences about the teaching performance of their teachers regarding content knowledge, teaching methodology, interaction with learners as well as personal characteristics of native English speaking, non-native Arabic speaking English teachers and nonnative Asian English teachers. The research method included the quantitative approach. The data was collected through a questionnaire from a sample of 136 participants at the department of English, KKU. The findings indicated that NESTs & NNESTs have a number of strengths and weaknesses. However, the findings recommended that the collaborative model of NESTs & NNESTs can be more successful for teaching of English as a foreign language in Saudi context.

Preservice ELT Teachers’ Native Non-Native Language Teacher Perception

Journal of Modern Science

Objectives This study examines prospective ELT teachers' perceptions of native and nonnative language teachers regarding the definition of NEST and NNEST, overall learning with NETSs and NNESTs, perceived weakness and strengths of NESTs and NNESTs and classroom behaviour and responsibility of NESTs and NNESTs. Material and methods The data will be collected through Likert scale questionnaire which was developed by Hadla (2013) and are going to be administered to ELT students studying at Aksaray University. The collected data will be subjected to descriptive analysis such as percentages, frequencies and statistically significant difference will be tested between the groups. Results This research provides valuable insights into pre-service ELT teachers' perceptions on NESTs and NNESTS. Although the pre-service ELT teachers do not have a clear mind on the definition of NEST, it is important to note that most of them do not take the colour of skin as an indicator of it. Growing up in an English-speaking 1 This paper was presented in 1. International Social Sciences and Educational Research Symposium (ISCER) that was held in Antalya on 3