Native and non-native speaker teachers: Contextualizing perceived differences in the Turkish EFL setting

Abstract

Abstract Although extensive research exists on learner perceptions of native and non-native English speaker teachers (NEST/NNEST), whether prior language learning experiences impact learner beliefs about these teachers has not been investigated. This study explores the beliefs of Turkish EFL students (n = 160) via the Beliefs about Language Teachers (BALT) questionnaire, focusing on beliefs about NESTs/NNESTs regarding ease of communication, teaching style, and classroom practices. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) performed on the BALT resulted in a four-factor solution. The beliefs of multilinguals and bilinguals, categorized in two ways (experience with more than one foreign language vs. perceived positive language interaction [PPLI]) were compared using one-way ANOVAs, which revealed significant differences for some of the factors. There was not much of a difference in bilinguals’ and multilinguals’ beliefs of NESTs and NNESTs. The perceived effectiveness of the NESTs by the PPLI learners can be explained by those learners’ high tolerance of ambiguity in the classroom, whereas the perceived effectiveness of the NNESTs by the NPPLI learners can be explained by the desired to interact in the L1 for ambiguous situations. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to foreign language education policies and teacher education programs.