FROM INLAND TO OUTLAND: EXPERIENCES OF NON-NATIVE EXPATRIATE TEACHERS TEACHING IN A FOREIGN CONTEXT

Remart Padua Dumlao,Trixia Mengorio

doi:10.31327/jee.v4i1.898

Abstract

The numbers of English language learners and limited domestic English language teachers have grown exponentially in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as to the ASEAN region over the past decades due to the demand of globalization. Given the huge cultural and linguistic diversity among learners, educating these populations of English language learners can be a challenging but also beneficial for foreign language teachers. This study aimed to analyse the experiences of fifteen Non-native English Speaking Foreign Teachers (NNESFT) teaching in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. The results of this study suggested that although teachers’ reasons in teaching English language in a foreign classroom were more extrinsic reasons rather that intrinsic and altruistic. NNESFT recognized benefits of teaching in foreign classroom, namely, financial aspects, personal development, and building cultural awareness. Meanwhile, challenges were reported include as a non-native English speaking teachers in a foreign classroom, on the part of textbooks and curriculum, and cultural differences in the classroom. Implications were discussed in light of the findings and recommendations formulated for future research directions.

Highlights

In recent decade, there has been a tremendous increase in teacher migration and mobility due to exponential increase in the number of learners learning English as a foreign language (Altbach,2004;Butler,2009;Cameron,2003) because parents think that strong English background skills can offer their children better employment opportunities in the future
With these huge numbers of English learners, Native English Speaking Foreign Teacher (NESFT) and Domestic English Teachers (DET) are not enough to fill the demands (Medgyes, 2001). This opens an opportunity for Non-native English Speaking Foreign Teacher (NNESFT) to teach in a foreign classroom (Graddol, 2006; Llurda, 2005a; McKay, 2000)
In Southeast Asian region context, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are the top countries who are continuously recruiting foreign-teachers, because of growing population of English language learners and limited English language domestic teacher (Hoang, 2010 Choi & Lee, 2008; Suwarsih, 2007; Warschauer, 2000) and the situation of English policy where English is being learned as a foreign language

Summary

Introduction

There has been a tremendous increase in teacher migration and mobility due to exponential increase in the number of learners learning English as a foreign language (Altbach,2004;Butler,2009;Cameron,2003) because parents think that strong English background skills can offer their children better employment opportunities in the future. 2. NNESFT in a foreign classroom In Teacher Education research, most study so far was concerning to the NNES foreignteachers’ attitudes, employability abroad, linguistics competent, adaptability, and cultural competence, relatively little to NNES foreign teachers on their challenges and benefits in teaching abroad. A study conducted by Halicioglu (2015) in Turkey affirmed that there were challenges facing NNES teachers in teaching abroad, both professional challenges in their school workplace and personal challenges in their personal life It suggests that such teachers embarking on a professional adventure overseas would benefit from careful consideration of the kind of school they will thrive in, mindful preparation for the move to a foreign country, and awareness that they will experience some form of culture shock. The findings contributed to the research literature regarding the relationship between non-native English foreign teacher’s experiences and their transference, adaptation, and integration into the classroom practice of beginning teachers in foreign classroom —an area in which research remains sparse.

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