Native and Non-Native English Language Teachers

Ian Walkinshaw,Duongthi Hoang Oanh

doi:10.1177/2158244014534451

Abstract

The English language teaching industry in East and Southeast Asia subscribes to an assumption that native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) are the gold standard of spoken and written language, whereas non-native English-speaking teachers (non-NESTs) are inferior educators because they lack this innate linguistic skill. But does this premise correspond with the views of second language learners? This article reports on research carried out with university students in Vietnam and Japan exploring the advantages and disadvantages of learning English from NESTs and non-NESTs. Contrary to the above notion, our research illuminated a number of perceived advantages—and disadvantages—in both types of teachers. Students viewed NESTs as models of pronunciation and correct language use, as well as being repositories of cultural knowledge, but they also found NESTs poor at explaining grammar, and their different cultures created tension. Non-NESTs were perceived as good teachers of grammar, and had the ability to resort to the students’ first language when necessary. Students found classroom interaction with non-NESTs easier because of their shared culture. Non-NESTs’ pronunciation was often deemed inferior to that of NESTs, but also easier to comprehend. Some respondents advocated learning from both types of teachers, depending on learners’ proficiency and the skill being taught.

Highlights

Scholars such as Braine (2010) and Kirkpatrick (2010) have identified a perception in the English language teaching profession in East and Southeast Asia that native Englishspeaking teachers (NESTs) are the ideal model for language production
The current study contributes to this area by investigating the attitudes of English learners in Vietnam and Japan toward NESTs and non-NESTs, and explores two research questions: Research Question 1: What advantages or disadvantages do learners identify about learning English from a native English-speaking teacher? Research Question 2: What advantages or disadvantages do learners identify about learning English from a nonnative English-speaking teacher?
The data show that NESTs were valued as models for authentic, natural pronunciation, despite comprehensibility issues

Summary

Introduction

Scholars such as Braine (2010) and Kirkpatrick (2010) have identified a perception in the English language teaching profession in East and Southeast Asia that native Englishspeaking teachers (NESTs) are the ideal model for language production Their speech is held up as the gold standard of grammatical correctness and perfect pronunciation (cf Wang, 2012), and they are valued as repositories of cultural information. Non-native English-speaking teachers (non-NESTs) tend to be positioned as deficient speakers of the language, with imperfect grammatical and pragmatic knowledge, poor pronunciation, and inferior knowledge about foreign cultures (Mahboob, Uhrig, Newman, & Hartford, 2004). This notion persists in the face of a rapidly expanding body of evidence to the contrary. The current study contributes to this area by investigating the attitudes of English learners in Vietnam and Japan toward NESTs and non-NESTs, and explores two research questions: Research Question 1: What advantages or disadvantages do learners identify about learning English from a native English-speaking teacher? Research Question 2: What advantages or disadvantages do learners identify about learning English from a nonnative English-speaking teacher?

Methods

Results

Conclusion