Native Speaker Teachers Research Articles

MCDM modelling on enrolment determinants of English medium instruction offered by native-speaking teachers

Presently, most Taiwanese colleges provide some English-only curriculums or English medium instruction (EMI) offered by native-speaking teacher (NST), which not only attract the enrolment of foreign students but also enhances domestic students' language competition. However, the enrolment willingness of EMI offered by NST seems not particularly high. What, then, are the enrolment determinants for EMI offered by NST when a college student faces a curriculum decision? Among these determinants, what matters most in their choices? The purpose of this is to paper is to propose a multiple-criteria-decision-making (MCDM) model on EMI enrolment determinants from the perspectives of college in Taiwan. According to the results, respondents rank 'student determinant' the first and 'teacher and determinant' as the second most important dimensions. Among the 16, interest, practicality and challenging are the top-three ranked by respondents. The results provide suggestions for students, teachers, schools, and the related authority with reference to higher-education improvement.

Reading Aloud as a Technique for Developing Teachers’ Awareness of English Phonology

Reading Aloud as a Technique for Developing Teachers’ Awareness of English Phonology

English for all? Neoliberalism, globalization, and language policy in Taiwan

AbstractThis article examines the nexus of neoliberalism, globalization, and the spread of English, using English-language education (ELE) policies in Taiwan between 2000 and 2008 as a case study. Data from ethnographic work, including interviews with school principals and education managers, is contextualized using recent theoretical innovations in the sociolinguistics of globalization and language and neoliberalism. Neoliberalism venerates the ideals of ‘choice’, ‘competition’, and the ‘free market’. For students and parents, English proficiency is less a ‘choice’ than a necessity for success in education and employment. ‘English for all’ policies are thus imperatives rather than opportunities when individuals, schools, and regions are put into deleterious ‘competition’ with each other in public education, and when public education is pressured by a parallel ‘free’ market private education sector. The structural function of English as a valued capital is examined alongside language ideologies regarding the ‘earlier-the-better’ argument for L2 acquisition and the idealization of the native-speaking teacher. (Taiwan, neoliberalism, globalization, English, sociolinguistics, language policy)*

Reexamining the NS and NNS Dichotomy in Taiwanese Higher EFL Education

The globalization trend has raised various issues in the field of English language teaching (ELT) for both language teachers and learners (Norton, TESOL Quarterly 31(3):409–429, 1997). Since the reality of English as an international language (EIL) has started to emerge, the traditional native speaker (NS) and non-native speaker (NNS) dichotomy has been called to be reexamined (Mckay, International Journal of Applied Linguistics 13(1):1–22, 2003). While it is believed that parents generally prefer NS teachers when it comes to language teaching since they provide the target model for language learning (Harmer, The practice of English language teaching, Longman, London 1991; Kachru, The other tongue: English across cultures, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1992; Oladejo, Bilingual Research Journal 30(1):147–170, 2006), high-level language learners have not been explored so far in Taiwanese tertiary English as a foreign language (EFL) education. Hence, the aim of this study was to reexamine the preference, perceptions, and attitudes toward NS and NNS teachers of Taiwanese advanced EFL learners. The data were collected qualitatively from 30 English majors at three top-rated universities in Taiwan including two semistructured interviews and an open-ended questionnaire for each participant. The results revealed that no particular preference was shown, but one important factor was found to make NS and NNS teachers different. Students were not only discovered to be aware of the pros and cons of both NS and NNS teachers’ teaching at tertiary level, but in the end, value NNS teachers more for the awareness of EIL that they have developed over the years. This article argues that instead of treasuring the NS model fervently, it is crucial for language learners to develop thorough and adaptive comprehension competence. This article concludes with several pedagogical implications for ELT professionals.

An Investigation of ACT Students’ English Language Problems and their Learning Strategies in Grade 10 Bilingual Program

The study investigated English language problems and learning strategies through a survey design which involved administering questionnaires of rating scales to measure English language problems and language learning strategies from 30 Grade 10 Bilingual Program students of Assumption College Thonburi (ACT). Participants reported frequent use of the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) as well as compensatory strategies, while metacognitive strategy was the least frequently use. The problem least mentioned was being ashamed of pronunciation when communicating with foreign or English native speaker teachers.

Gender Gap in the EFL Classroom in East Asia

The present brief discussion is stimulated by recent research publications (Appleby 2013; Hicks 2013; Stanley 2013) on discrimination against female native English speaker teachers in east Asia where native white males have long dominated the English teaching positions at language schools and colleges. Not only the global commodification of native English speakers but also the internationally known male-oriented hiring practices in east Asia and other unexplored factors appear to be working in favor of young male native speakers from the West. The present discussion explores gender gap in the EFL classroom in east Asia from the perspective of global ELT community's political sensitivity to its professionalism.

Providing a bridge to intercultural pedagogy for native speaker teachers of Chinese in Australia

Language pedagogy in Australia, North America and Europe has been influenced in the past 20 years by a sociocultural understanding of language and culture, which has asked teachers to adopt an intercultural approach, integrating critical cultural reflection within language learning. Due to the diversity of backgrounds, however, different groups of teachers need to make sense of this new pedagogy using their own particular cultural lens. This paper examines the engagement of native-speaker teachers of (Mandarin) Chinese with the principles of intercultural language pedagogy. It is located within the context of calls for more successful learning of Chinese in Australian schools. Data derive from the implementation of a one-day course in intercultural language pedagogy for 20 native speaker teachers of Chinese. Pre- and post-course surveys and a number of interviews were analysed to identify teacher needs, and to track changes in understanding and intended practice. Findings demonstrate the positive impact of the intervention on teacher understanding and practice. They also raise the question of Western cultural assumptions inherent in the intercultural discourse approach, and its ability to include and address the perspectives and practices of Chinese teachers. They also highlight the need for more training to provide a cultural bridge between pedagogies.

Intersecting global and local: the intercultural and intersubjective constructions of “expatriate” and “local” teachers in the search for the “x factor”

In 1998, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region began a large-scale project to import qualified, experienced native-speaking teachers of English into Hong Kong secondary schools. The Native-speaking English Teacher (NET) scheme later expanded to include Hong Kong primary schools. Currently, teachers from around the world are placed in local (Hong Kong) classrooms and staffrooms. This intersection of local and global teaching professionals is the site for the examination of interculturalist theories through interactionist methodologies. Data in the form of a semi-structured interview with a Local English Teacher (LET) is analysed using Membership Categorization Analysis. The analysis addresses two key questions. First, how are intercultural categories and attributes talked into being? Second, how can examination of these categories lead to improved understanding of the intersubjective relations between local and expatriate teachers? Findings from analysis have implications for teachers’ professional development in cross-cultural contexts.

Target language use by teachers co-teaching tomorrow's teachers of Chinese

AbstractThis paper reports an exploratory study of a Native Speaker Teacher (NST) of Mandarin Chinese and a Primary Languages Teacher (PLT) teaching Chinese to English pre-service primary school teachers, and is particularly focused on the use of target language (TL) by these two co-teachers.Although some studies of TL use have compared the use of target language by native and non-native speakers teaching individually, there are no studies which examine target language use in a native and non-native co-teaching situation, or relate this to the background experience of the teachers. The data collected in this study included observations of planning meetings between both teachers, observations of the teaching of the program, and interviews with both teachers.This paper focuses upon the use of target language by the Chinese Native speaker teacher (NST) and the English Primary Languages Teacher (PLT) and the ways in which this changed and developed across the teaching sessions, as well as the relationship between their TL use, background and beliefs about language teaching in the program. Findings of this study show that, even in a co-teaching situation, target language use by the native speaker teacher and the primary languages teacher differed substantially in terms of their practices of and their beliefs about use of target language, and both were influenced by their own cultures of learning. The results also suggest that working together changed the teaching behavior of both teachers and enabled them to reflect critically on their prior assumptions.

A COMPARISON OF ORAL EVALUATION RATINGS BY NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER TEACHERS AND NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER TEACHERS

This study attempts to explore the differences and similarities between native English speaker (NES) teachers and non-native English speaker (NNES) teachers in their oral evaluation ratings of the same university level English language learners. To this effect, the iBT/Next Generation TOEFL Test Independent Speaking Rubric and a questionnaire were employed. The results reveal that NES teachers are more lenient in their oral evaluation ratings than NNES teachers. In regards to the questionnaire employed, it was found that NES teachers take into consideration the aspects of fluency and pronunciation more so than NNES teachers when orally assessing students, while NNES teachers take more into consideration the aspects of grammatical accuracy and vocabulary. Further research is required in the area of oral assessment specifically pertaining to nationality, age, work experience, and knowledge of a second language.

Nonnative Speaker Teachers of Spanish: Insights From Novice Teachers

AbstractA sizable body of literature has been established surrounding native speaker teachers versus nonnative speaker teachers of English. Presently, a paucity of research exists related to teachers working with languages other than English. In an attempt to fill this research gap, this qualitative research study presents the experiences of novice nonnative speaker teachers of Spanish. Interviews were conducted to explore the teachers' perceptions regarding their own status as nonnative speakers. The interviews revealed several themes, some of which parallel previous findings on nonnative speaker teachers of English and others that diverge; this article reports on three of these themes. A discussion about what the language education field can do to afford nonnative speaker teachers the same status as native speaker teachers concludes the article.

University Students’ Perceptions of the Influence of Native and Non-native Teachers

This paper reports the outcome of a study carried out in Qassim University with 169 Saudi male novice university students to obtain a deeper insight into their perceptions of their native English speaker teachers (NESTs) and non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs) in the English language classroom. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in two stages by means of students’ questionnaires and interviews. The results reveal statistical significant difference in the respondents' perceptions in favor of NESTs. Students showed more preference for NESTs as they go to higher levels. Students previous learning experiences may affect their general preference for NESTs since they were taught by both types of teachers. Subjects also exhibited an explicit preference for NESTs in relation to the teaching strategies adopted. However, the respondents showed moderately favorable attitudes towards NNESTs who provide a serious learning environment and a favorable response to learners' needs.

Living as a Welcomed Outsider

Despite an increasing number of native English speaker teachers (NESTs, hereafter) in Korea, little research has been carried out on their beliefs about learning and teaching, and their perception of themselves as a teacher and resident in a host country. This study addresses the question of how NESTs identified themselves in different communities and what sociocultural factors affected their process of constructing multiple identities. Data were collected through individual and group interviews with one female and three male native NESTs at a private university in Korea. The findings show that the participating teachers perceived themselves as confident teachers in the classroom. Outside the classroom, they felt respected but separated, welcomed but not belonged to communities due to their limited participation. The findings suggest that the NESTs’ multiple and seemingly conflicting identities are constructed through different degrees of involvement in the communities. The teachers’ identity construction can be described as a process of managing ambivalence among those multiple and conflicting subidentities.

Grammar Teaching Revisited: EFL Teachers between Grammar Abstinence and Formal Grammar Teaching

The study of English language teachers’ cognitions and its relationship to teachers’ classroom practices have recently been the focus of language teaching and teacher education (Borg, 2006 & 2010). However, rarely have the studies delved into teachers’ knowledge about grammar (reviewed by Borg, 2001) or investigated the relationships between teachers’ knowledge about grammar and teachers’ actions (Borg, 2003; Sanchez, 2010). Moreover, these studies have been mostly conducted by English native speaker researchers who do not necessarily have the same cultural or linguistic background of the participants in the studies (Andrew, 2001 cited in Sanchez, 2010, p. 45). Also, they are largely confined to English native speaker teachers and few have addressed non-native speaker teachers in countries where English is a foreign language (Sanchez, 2010, p. 45). In response to these gaps in the area of second language teaching, this study investigates four English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ views about grammar teaching to give an aggregate picture of the way they teach grammar. The research database consists of audio-recordings of these teachers’ lessons and interviews in which they explain why they adopt a deductive or an inductive approach, how they teach grammar and how they respond to students’ errors. Implications for non-native EFL teacher education are also discussed.

The Effect of Class Satisfaction and Self-Efficacy on English Class Using Videoconferencing

The study aims at analyzing and comparing the effect of video teleconferencing English class with native speakers on class satisfaction and self-efficacy of elementary school students according to grades. Revised Kim's self efficacy and researcher's class satisfaction measuring tools were used for this. Grade 3 got the highest score and grade 6 had the lowest one in class satisfaction. In post-testing on self efficacy, average score was lower than in pre-testing except grade 3. Grade 3 got the highest score and grade 6 had the lowest one in self efficacy. I conclude that as students' grade goes up, their interests decrease in teleconferencing class and native speaker teachers.

A Comparison of Classroom Interaction Patterns of Native and Nonnative EFL Teachers

Abstract Classroom interaction patterns and their significance and contribution to learners’ level of proficiency has been one of the most important issues in EFL settings with the increasing concern for socio-cultural theories of education, represented by Lev Vygotsky. It is believed that with the help of the teachers’ guidance and scaffolding, learners’ participation in language classes might be possible and this collaboration in the EFL classroom might lead to more positive results. The main aim of this study is to compare and contrast the classroom interaction patterns adopted by native and non-native teachers of English in EFL settings such as turn-taking, teacher feedback, teacher echo and different kinds of scaffolding strategies. Qual itative research, particularly conversation analysis was used to identify the basic similarities and differences between these two groups of teachers taking part in a Turkish and American EFL setting. The findings of this study suggest that the common interactional pattern in the classrooms is IRE (Initiate, Response and Evaluation), native speaker teachers of English are more tolerant than non-native speaker teachers of English in terms of error correction and alternative questions technique is the most common scaffolding technique used by both groups of teachers.

Exploring Native Speaker Teachers’ Beliefs about Learning and Teaching English

The present study investigated native speaker teachers’ beliefs about learning and teaching English in the Korean university setting. Despite the great influx of native speaker teachers into the Korean English education system, relatively little research has been carried out on teachers’ perspectives on learning and teaching. Considering the significant impact of teachers’ beliefs in the classroom, this study investigated the sources of teachers’ beliefs, their beliefs about learning and teaching, and their beliefs about teacher roles in the second language classroom. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight native English speakers who were teaching at the same university. The findings showed that the teachers believed students’ active participation was the key to successful second language learning. It was shown that the teachers’ beliefs were closely associated with their prior learning experiences and that differences in the learning experiences between the teacher and students may cause difficulty in the second language classroom. These findings suggest the importance of teachers’ awareness of students’ learning experiences and the need to negotiate within the given teaching context without completely giving up teachers’ own beliefs about learning and teaching a second language.

Strategies and struggles in the ELT classroom: language policy, learner autonomy, and innovative practice

Within the Japanese English Language Teaching context and consistent with the dominant conversation role assigned to the native English speaker teacher, there exists a belief that the most effective manner in which to teach and promote multilingualism and intercultural understanding is through restricting students to monolingual practices and prohibitive pedagogies. These beliefs, whilst entrenched in ideologies of cultural dominance and linguistic imperialism, have also nourished the foundations for the learner autonomy movement to develop through the creation of numerous self-access learning centres. In consideration of these core issues and building upon earlier context-specific work, this paper documents an attempt at negotiating the contradiction created by those institutions who promote the virtues of learner autonomy on one hand, whilst enforcing strict linguistic prohibitions on the other hand. Situated within a Japanese university, 43 mixed-ability English language learners were presented with two reflective awareness-raising strategies that sought to assist them in being more able to make informed classroom language choices when faced with the demands of a prescriptive English-only language learning environment. The results suggest that the English-only policy represents an unrealistic target for the majority of learners and one which may promote a number of negative consequences.

Immediate learner repair and its relationship with learning targeted forms in dyadic interaction

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between immediate learner repair in response to interactional feedback and learning targeted forms. In particular, the study examined and compared the relationship between two major types of repair: learner-generated self-repair following elicitations and teacher-generated repair following recasts. It also examined the relationship of repair that involved repetition of the recast versus those that involved incorporation of the recast into new and expanded production. Participants were 42 adult ESL learners interacting with two native speaker teachers. The amount of each type of repair during interaction was examined and was then related to the degree of correction of the same error in individualized posttests immediately after interaction, and then after two weeks. The results showed that overall learners were able to recognize and correct after interaction over half of the errors that they had repaired during interaction. The results also showed that teacher-generated repair and self-repair led to similar degrees of immediate post-interaction correction. However, whereas the effects of self-repair were maintained, the effects of teacher-generated repair were reduced over time, particularly when the repair involved repetition rather than incorporation. The findings suggest that different types of repair may have different impacts on language learning.

The Effects of Video-conference Classes by Native Speaking Teachers and Cognitive Style on Self-efficacy

The purpose of this study is to identify how native speakers' video-conference teaching influences self-efficacy according to the cognitive styles of elementary school students compared with native speakers' traditional co-teaching. The results of this study are as follows. First, there was the difference in the effect on self-efficacy according to the difference in three teaching methods. Second, there was not the difference in self-efficacy according to cognitive styles. Third, there appeared the interaction effect of teaching methods and cognitive styles on self-efficacy.