A Study on Korean University Students' Perception of Native and Non-native English Speaking Instructors’ English Courses

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to gage the effectiveness of native English instructor’s and Korean English instructors’ current university courses. For this purpose, 140 Korean university students were participated for a survey, which enquires about the aspects of the native English instructors’ classes and Korean English instructors’ classes that they previously enrolled. According to the survey results, Korean university students perceived the effectiveness of native English instructors in their classroom in a favorable light. The students responded that their overall English ability and fluency had increased. Students also responded that native English instructors provided the vast amounts of encouragement because the students felt that they were overcoming their fears associated to using English during the native English instructors classes. On the other hand, the students perceived that the Korean English instructors were more valued for in-depth grammar instruction and as vocabulary experts. None-the-less, the students expressed that Korean English instructors used less spoken English than they would otherwise like. One surprising finding was that the Korean university students are, in the majority, interested in content above conversational skills even in native English instructors’ courses. It is expected that the results of this study consistently substantiate that native English instructors seem to have a positive effect and play a valuable role in a well-rounded Korean education system.