The Validity of Hiring Native and Non-Native English-Speaking Instructors: Professional Observers', Learners', and Programme Administrators' Perceptions

Abstract

In the recent past, considerable attention has been directed towards the issues relating to non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs) and native English speaker teachers (NESTs) in English language teaching (ELT), especially their employability as English language teachers. This study aimed to investigate the hiring process for an English as a foreign language (EFL) instructor position. The study has adopted a mixed-design approach using a structured questionnaire on 212 students from the Preparatory Year Program (PYP) at Princess Nora University (PNU) and the Common First Year (CFY) at King Saud University (KSU) and semi-structured interviews on six programme administrators and professional observers from the higher education language institutions in Saudi Arabia to achieve the study’s objectives. Specifically, this study examined three areas: a) the programme administrators’ perception of the hiring criteria of both NESTs and NNESTs; b) the professional observers' perception of the hiring criteria used, linking them to the performance of both NESTs and NNESTs in EFL classes and providing criteria that they deem necessary; and c) the learners' perception of the characteristics of an effective EFL instructor to support the latter's perception. The results revealed that being a native speaker was not important from the perception of programme administrators, professional observers, and learners. However, programme administrators, professional observers, and learners gave more importance to other criteria such as pedagogical skills, personal qualities, and the ability to teach.