Teaching of English as a Foreign Language by Non- Native Speakers

There is a stereotype that takes for granted that a native speaker is by nature the best person to teach his/her foreign language. This assumption leaves little room for non-native teachers. A comparison of these two kinds of teachers is made following Medgyes' 3 dimensional framework: native/non-native, nonnative/non-native and native/native. The aim of this article is to analyze their differences in order to prove that non-native teachers have some advantages which should be taken into account.

Arab World English Journal , 2020

This study investigated the effects of Native English-Speaking Teachers (NEST) and Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers (NNEST) on students' English proficiency and perceptions. The research methodology employed an observational study based using critical applied linguistic. Data collection was through a mixed method. The tools used were the Cambridge English: Key English Test (KET), classroom observation evaluation forms, and interviews. The participants consisted of 252 upper primary students from one private school in Chiang Mai, Thailand, during the academic year 2019. Results indicated that students' English proficiency was increased significantly at .01 level in both groups. The gain score suggested that NNEST can make a higher gain score than NEST in all grade levels. Student' s answers show NNEST score a higher agreeability towards teachers' teaching abilities, English abilities, and the creation of an engaging learning atmosphere over NEST. Classroom observations implemented by three English Learning Teachers confirmed the results that NNEST is more agreeable than NEST in teachers' teaching ability and motivating learning atmospheres in classrooms. However, in teachers' English skills, the experts' perceptions were opposite that of the students. Lastly, the interviews with the students reflected three key aspects: their preferences of English teacher advantages, disadvantages, and strengths of both NNEST and NEST.

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...

2017

Since non-native English speaking teachers (NNESTs) are always compared with native English speaking teachers (NESTs) on linguistic grounds, their similarities and differences are worthy of investigation. This paper reports on a mixed method study which examines the potential similarities and differences of NNESTs and NESTs’ teaching performance through the perceptions of students and teachers at the American Language Center (ALC) in Fez. For the purpose of data triangulation, data were collected through the use of a questionnaire completed by 40 students studying at the ALC in Fez. Semi-structured Interviews were conducted with NESTs and NNESTs teaching at the ALC. Findings show that NNESTs and NESTs are perceived to have distinctive linguistic, socio-cultural and pedagogical similarities and differences. An interesting finding is that some of the perceived similarities and differences are complementary. This paper has theoretical implications for conducting more research on this issue within the Moroccan context, and some pedagogical implications for NESTs and NNESTs’ collaboration.

University of Bakht Alruda, Refereed Quarterly Scientific Journal, 2018

The study aims to investigating the effect of employing native speakers for teaching English language on the learners' listening and speaking skills of learners. The study used the descriptive analytical method by using SPSS, version 17. In addition to the statistics, there are some listening rubrics used to measure students ' listening, these rubrics are listening process, listening types and ability of remembering information. The interview is analyzed through using speaking rubrics, which include grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency and background knowledge. The main findings of the study refer to the superiority of native speaker teacher to non-native speaker teacher in the oral skills, listening and speaking. The native teacher's oral proficiency positively affects the learners' level in the mentioned skills but the non-native teacher‟s lack of oral proficiency negatively affects the learners' listening and speaking level. So the native speaker class gets higher scores than the non-native speaker. The native speaker teacher needs qualifications and training in the area of second or foreign language teaching and being a native speaker does not mean being a perfect language teacher .The non-native teacher still has some advantages in teaching English, in addition to the grammatical knowledge of the language, he or she assigns more homework, corrects errors and well prepares the lessons but their class is poor in cultural background. The main recommendations it is important to the native and non-native speaker teachers to minimize their own disadvantages in the area of language teaching.

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).

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.

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.