Exploring the effect of students’ language learning strategies on Chinese students' perceptions of native and non-native English speaker teachers

Abstract

The status of English as the most prominent global lingua franca has increased the need for effective English teachers worldwide. Particularly in China, there is a growing demand for English teachers, with a significant preference for native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) over non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs). This trend, often interpreted as an implicit or explicit endorsement of native-speakerism, has significant effects on Chinese students, and harms the teaching effectiveness and well-being of Chinese English teachers. While previous research has explored the roles of students' demographic characteristics on their views, few studies have delved into complex factors such as language learning strategies and educators' well-being. To address this research gap, this study investigates 470 English-major Chinese students' views on NESTs and NNESTs in relation to the well-being of the NESTs and NNESTs. The findings reveal that students view NESTs and NNESTs as possessing different strengths and weaknesses, which have various impacts on the teachers' well-being. Further, the students’ language learning strategies were positively correlated with their views of both NESTs and NNESTs. These discoveries have the potential to heighten student awareness about native-speakerism and develop potential methods for educators to augment their teaching effectiveness, so that teacher well-being is given adequate attention.