English teacher preference: the case of China's non‐English‐major students

Abstract

In an era when English has become the uncontested world language, this study explores who Chinese non-English majors prefer as their English teachers: English teachers from China (ETCs) or so-called native-speaking English teachers (NETs). This issue has been keenly debated in the Chinese press in recent years. However, it is not a debate in which the voices of the learners and teachers of English have been sufficiently reported through empirical studies. The study draws comprehensive data from 984 college students and their teachers at four universities in different parts of China. On the basis of three cross-validated research methods (questionnaire survey, matched-guise technique, and focused interview), it is argued that, where possible, college English classes should be taught by both ETCs and NETs, since students can benefit from the strengths of both types of teachers. In addition, ETCs should be given opportunities to train in English-speaking countries in order to improve their own English proficiency levels and that only qualified NETs should be recruited to teach college English in China.

An Analysis of Chinese Universities Students’ Attitudes towards Native and Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers (NESTs/NNESTs)

“…The second implication is to urge the reconceptualization of ideal English teachers understanding among NNESTs. It is important for the local teachers to be confident with themselves and understand that they are not inferior to native teachers (He & Miller, 2011;Kontra, 2000). The fact that each group has its own advantages and disadvantages for being native and non-native, both NESTs and NNESTs are actually on the same level, so what remains is the endeavour to upgrade what is missing.…”

An inquiry into Chinese learners' English-learning motivational self-images: ENL learner or ELF user?

“…It has been found that the Chinese learners and teachers of college English all prefer the NS model in their English classroom (He and Li 2009;He and Zhang 2010;Kirkpatrick and Xu 2002). The English teachers that Chinese learners most welcome are either qualified NS teachers or local teachers with training experience in Englishspeaking countries (He and Miller 2011). An interview study of Chinese students who volunteered in the Olympic Games, Beijing, in 2008 revealed that, despite their extensive experience of ELF through their interactions with nonnative speakers of the language, they preferred American English and British English to that of other users of English before and after participating in the Olympic Games (Lin and Gao 2010).…”

The grammatical features of English in a Chinese Internet discussion forum

“…Rong ; Li ; Gu & Xiang ; Du & Jiang ; Jiang ; Wei & Fei ); (2) Chinese speakers’ perceptions and attitudes towards the variety (e.g. Hu ; Chen & Hu ; He & Li ; He & Miller ); (3) the role of English in China's language curriculum (e.g. Bianco et al.…”