Examining the Academic Contribution of Non-native and Native Language Instructors in College English Courses

Abstract

In the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) education, native-English-speaking teachers (NESTs) have long been considered more valuable than non-native-English-speaking teachers (NNESTs). As a growing number of people around the world are becoming English learners, however, NNESTs now outnumber NESTs. This fact calls for greater attention to how the two groups of language instructors are perceived and what they actually bring to the EFL language classroom. This study examines how the predominance of NESTs in Korean EFL contexts affects Korean EFL learners and Korean college education. Grouping students according to change in their TOEIC scores over one semester (increase, decrease, no change), the study investigates the influence of NNESTs versus NESTs on (1) their students’ academic sincerity and (2) their students’ academic achievement. The study finds no meaningful difference between NNESTs’ and NESTs’ students in academic sincerity or achievement, which suggests that English teachers’ status as native or non-native speakers is irrelevant. It concludes that such labeling is no indication of the quality of language education provided by these groups.