Students’ perceptions towards native and non-native english speaker teachers

Abstract

There was an argument that native English teachers have many advantages than non-native English teachers and students preferred native to non-native teachers; however, the argument had to be assessed. Many researchers had been exploring students’ perceptions of native and non-native English teachers worldwide in formal education institutions. This study aimed to explore students’ perceptions of native and non-native English teachers in a non-formal education institution. This was a qualitative study based on a descriptive approach conducted using three instruments: close-ended questionnaire, semi-structured interview, and documentation. The study revealed that native and non-native English teachers had their own specific roles in the Indonesian context. Students needed native more than non-native teachers because the latter were bilingual having the same mother tongue as them, and they enabled a successful learning process because of the effective learning strategies they shared. Also, non-native teachers helped students deal with difficulties and challenges in their learning process.

TEFL Students' Perceptions of Native and Non-Native EFL School Teachers and University Lecturers: A Case Study

“…Although participants did not explicitly state that NS instructors were their ideal models of perfect pronunciation, their responses highlighted two major themes related to native-speakerism ideology: the belief that exposure to NSs is crucial to develop correct pronunciation, and superiority of NSs when judged against NNSs in linguistic standards. This finding aligns with the outcome of many previous studies which reported that NESTs are often perceived as being role models for natural speech and authentic pronunciation (Aksiutina & Vovkodav, 2021;Elomarabi, 2018;Filho, 2002;Mahboob, 2004;Park, 2009;Thien et al, 2018;Torres, 2004;Wang & Fang, 2020;Wulandari et al, 2021;Yang, 2011).…”

“…It allows corroborating findings through triangulation of data (Paltridge & Phakiti, 2015) from multiple sources (surveys and interviews) to provide a full picture of the topic under scrutiny. Therefore, this paper uses the mixed methods approach as most studies investigating students' perceptions of NESTs/ NNESTs employed this design to look at the same phenomenon from various angles (Aksiutina & Vovkodav, 2021;Alseweed, 2012;Elomarabi, 2018;He & Zhang, 2010;Kiczkowiak, 2017;Lasagabaster & Sierra, 2002;Park, 2009;Thien et al, 2018;Torres, 2004;Wang & Fang, 2020;Wu & Ke, 2009;Wulandari et al, 2021;Yang, 2011).…”

“…Many studies showed that NESTs were preferred in specific language skills, including pronunciation, speaking, listening, and cultural communication. These preferences were based on the NS's frequent use and good command of idiomatic English, their accuracy in pronunciation, fluency, and extensive information about the Western culture (Aksiutina & Vovkodav, 2021;Elomarabi, 2018;Filho, 2002;Lasagabaster & Sierra, 2002;Mahboob, 2004;Park, 2009;Thien et al, 2018;Torres, 2004;Wang & Fang, 2020;Wulandari et al, 2021). In Korea, Park (2009) explored the perceptions and preferences of 177 university students toward NESTs and NNESTs.…”

“…NNESTs were praised for their so-called "integrated language ability" (Wang & Fang, 2020, p.8), which is their ability to swing back and forth in their use of L1 and L2, and for providing an environment conducive to learning by exhibiting a more "serious attitude to class work" (Alseweed, 2012, p.42). Additionally, bringing in a variety of background experiences to meet the students' needs in terms of teaching strategies, learning styles, answering questions more effectively, anticipating challenges, and dealing with them sympathetically were the strengths students reported particularly about NNESTs (Alseweed, 2012;Elomarabi, 2018;Filho, 2002;Park, 2009;Lasagabaster & Sierra, 2002;Mahboob, 2004;Wang & Fang, 2020;Wulandari et al, 2021). In a study at Qassim University in Saudi Arabia (Alseweed, 2012), most EFL, male undergraduates deemed NESTs authentic, living examples of their culture.…”

“…In many regions worldwide, the English language teaching profession has perpetuated the belief that native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) are the ideal and sole judges of spoken and written language, whereas non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) are inadequate role models and instructors (Butler, 2007;Kiczkowiak, 2020;Kramsch, 1997). Until now, most research on the native speaker ideology has been conducted in the US (Filho, 2002;Mahboob, 2003), and in Asian and European countries (Aksiutina & Vovkodav, 2021;He & Zhang, 2010;Lasagabaster & Sierra, 2002;Park, 2009;Rondonuwu et al, 2022;Thien et al, 2018;Wu & Ke, 2009& Wulandari et al, 2021, very few were done in the Caucasian region, and none in Armenia.…”