Hello, I'M a Native Speaker": Nonnative Tutors' Perspectives on Native-Speakerism Ideology (original) (raw)
Related papers
On Issues Regarding Native vs. Non-Native English Speaking Teachers
This study discusses some issues regarding nativeness in English language teaching. Both native and non-native professionals have raised their voices against the wide-spread idea that an ideal English teacher is a native English speaking teacher {NEST). This is called the native speaker fallacy (Phillipson, 1992a). This paper first reviews recent issues regarding NESTs vs. non-NESTs and then introduces the six advantages of llon-NESTs clarified by Medgyes (1994). Then three suggestions are made for Japanese teachers of English (JTEs). JTEs are expected 1) to know the fact that `the native speaker fallacy' and its related issues have been discussed over many years, 2) to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of both NESTs and non-NESTs, and 3) to establish an English community where everybody uses English as a means of communication to create practical English users or multiple competent speakers <Cook, 1999).
Native vs non-native language teacher: Pedagogical, psychological and practical considerations
M/Other Tongues in Language Acquisition, Instruction, and Use. Institute of Applied Linguistics, University of Warsaw., 2017
Falling back on students’ L1—whether as the medium of communication, or for expository purposes—immediately summons the native/non-native speaker teacher debate. This is the theme of this chapter, which commences by interrogating the very definition and validity of the NS construct, its relevance as a model to be emulated, and other misconceptions surrounding the oft-purported superiority of the target language native teacher. Subsequently, the numerous assets are itemised which a qualified non-native speaker instructor can bring into the classroom, many of which are—by definition or practically—unattainable to a NS. On balance, the best teacher is one competent in both the target language and the language(s) already spoken by the student—and familiar with their culture—in order to be able to draw relevant comparisons and contrasts and to fall back on this medium of communication where it is more effective or otherwise desirable than TL-only interaction.
Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 2013
Recruiting and employing native speaker teachers of English Language (NST) in non-native speakers’ context are widely practised in countries which learn and use the target language taught by the native speaker teachers (NST) as either as a second or a foreign language. This paper reviews selected journals and thesis on the issues of Native and Non-native Speaker Teachers (NST & NNST). It covers on students’, as well as the Native and Non-Native Speaker Teachers’ (NNST) self-perceptions and attitudes. This review discovers almost the same pattern of students’ attitudes and perceptions towards native speaker teachers. Most studies reviewed indicate that most of the non-native learners of the target language have positive attitude towards native speaker teachers. They view native speaker teachers as the model of the target language learnt and believe that the native speaker teachers could provide a great example in learning pronunciation and speaking skill. In addition, this review als...
The Idea of a “Native Speaker” in Teaching Foreign Languages
VII International Scientific and Practical Conference «GRUNDLAGEN DER MODERNEN WISSENSCHAFTLICHEN FORSCHUNG», 2024
The concept of a native speaker has become a topic of intense debate in language research, with scholars increasingly questioning its validity and its association with “native speakerism” within foreign language teaching—the belief that native speakers are inherently more effective language teachers than non-native counterparts. This perspective often elevates native-speaker teachers as ideal due to their presumed superior linguistic competence and cultural authenticity while marginalizing non-native-speaker teachers. Such bias fosters discriminatory practices in hiring, resource allocation, and classroom roles. Additionally, researchers argue that the term’s ambiguity perpetuates stereotypes about behavior, experience, and identity, leading to negative consequences.
NON-NATIVE TEACHERS, HERE WE GO
Native-speakerism seems to have been an endless controversial issue. First it was the ideal model, then, the outdated language rulers. The purpose of this article is to discuss the changes that native and non-native speaker teachers have undergone with the focus on the fundamental importance of the non-natives. Key words: native-speaker; non-native speaker; International English
Sutherland (2012) - Native and Non-native English teachers in the classroom
Arab World Englishes Journal, 2012
Native English speakers are often claimed to be better language teachers than non-native English speakers, both by those who have not reflected critically on the inherent differences between knowing how to use a language and knowing how to teach a language, and by those who assume that non-native English speakers are by definition not fluent. Nativeness is thus equated with pedagogical superiority. This claim, whether it is made by students, parents, hiring boards, or other interested parties, is detrimental to non-native English teachers as educators and to the students who learn from them. Non-native English speaking teachers may be demoralised or discriminated against in hiring practices. Students lose when they are taught by teachers with nativeness as their defining characteristic, rather than by the best teachers. In this article the native speakers model, itself a problematic concept, is analysed to show how supposed nativeness is difficult to define accurately. Then the benefits of being taught by native English speakers and non-native English speakers are outlined, with a view to promoting more just hiring practices and sounder educational results for students of English worldwide.
Native and Non-Native English Language Teachers
SAGE Open, 2014
The English language teaching industry in East and Southeast Asia subscribes to an assumption that native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) are the gold standard of spoken and written language, whereas non-native English-speaking teachers (non-NESTs) are inferior educators because they lack this innate linguistic skill. But does this premise correspond with the views of second language learners? This article reports on research carried out with university students in Vietnam and Japan exploring the advantages and disadvantages of learning English from NESTs and non-NESTs. Contrary to the above notion, our research illuminated a number of perceived advantages—and disadvantages—in both types of teachers. Students viewed NESTs as models of pronunciation and correct language use, as well as being repositories of cultural knowledge, but they also found NESTs poor at explaining grammar, and their different cultures created tension. Non-NESTs were perceived as good teachers of grammar, and...