Non-native Teachers Research Articles

Pragmatic competence of teachers: a contrastive case study of native and non-native teachers of English

Pragmatic competence of teachers: a contrastive case study of native and non-native teachers of English

Pedagogy of English Idioms: An Etymological Perspective

In EFL context, there is a considerable shift from single word lexical items to phraseology. Idioms constitute a core part in the phraseology block of the language. Idioms, in spite of their variety and cultural roots, are one of the most neglected areas in EFL perspective. Non-native learners of English as a foreign language do not feel motivated to use idiomatic resources of the language creatively. It is also a fact that pedagogy of idioms to EFL learners has been a challenging task for non-native teachers of the English language. The undertaken research is an effort to establish the utility of the entomological background of idioms in EFL class.

A qualitative study on learning trajectories of non-native Chinese instructors as successful Chinese language learners

This paper reports a qualitative study on the Chinese language learning trajectories of non-native Chinese instructors as successful Chinese language learners. While some literature has been found on studying good learners of English and other languages, there is a lack of research on studying good learners of the Chinese language, especially on their life-long Chinese learning process. Six active instructors teaching Chinese at K-12 schools or universities in the United States, whose native language is English, were interviewed on a one-on-one basis with an auto/biographical approach. This approach, as one type of narrative inquiries under a qualitative paradigm, has been increasingly used in the study of English language learners. Findings of the study include that the six participants all had experiences studying in Greater China, and all held lifelong learning attitude as well as demonstrated various self-regulation strategies with strong self-motivation and dedication. While they all took Chinese classes at college, only two of them studied prior to college, which is encouraging for Chinese learners who were unable to learn Chinese from an early age. This study helps to fill the gap in literature on good language learners of Chinese, and provides educational implications for Chinese language learners, instructors, researchers, and other stakeholders.

Value of Non-native Speaker Teacher Acts in the Second Language Science Classroom

This study aimed to investigate actual non-native teacher talk in the second language (L2) science classroom and the value of the talk as perceived by students, who are English language learners. Twenty L2 science lessons conducted by ten non-native teacher trainees were analyzed for teacher acts. Feedback from the teachers was also obtained via stimulated recall sessions. Perceptions of the value of the teacher acts were obtained from sixty-one students via group interviews. The findings indicated that most of the teacher acts were identical to those occurring in other classrooms. Nevertheless, two of the acts, namely, overt repair and assist acts were newly identified acts generated by the teacher trainees, which suggest that some acts may be particular to specific classroom contexts. Students perceived certain acts, namely, the elicitation, follow-up, check, and conclusion acts, to be more valuable compared to others in aiding their understanding. Findings of this study offer a more realistic approach in implementing L2 science teaching and learning in the context where teachers and students are not proficient in the L2.

English Language Learners' Opinions of EFL Native and Nonnative Teachers

This paper aims at finding out the opinions of Kurdish English language learners of their native – nonnative teachers of English as a foreign language; identifying which group of teachers is more useful to them ; native or non-native English language teachers and in which language skills. The study has hypothesized that Kurdish university students show positive beliefs of native English language over nonnative English language teachers.In order to validate the objectives and hypotheses of the study, a questionnaire consisting of (14) items that included (9) general items and ( 5) items on the teaching of each of the following language skills grammar; vocabulary; pronunciation; listening ; reading and speaking was given to one hundred students studying English at four private universities in Kurdistan of Iraq. SPSS V.22 ( Statistical Packages for Social Science ) was used to determine the significant differences between native English language teachers and nonnative English language teachers of English as a foreign language as perceived by students at all levels of language learning skills item by item for all the (14 )items used. The ANOVA 1 test was used to determine the difference and significance of the dimensions of the study. The study has revealed that, in general, students significantly preferred to have native English language teachers more than nonnative English language teachers. However, students significantly preferred nonnative English language teachers to native English language teachers in teaching them grammar. On the other hand, students thought that native English language teachers were better than nonnative English language teachers in teaching them speaking, pronunciation, vocabulary and listening.

Delving into International Students’ Attitudes to NESTs and NNESTs

This study examined the attitudes of international students at university level towards native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English speaking teachers (NNESTs) in a Thai context. It also explored how the attitudes held towards these two groups of teachers shaped the participants’ learning practices and motivation to learn English. Two research instruments; the open-ended questionnaire and the semi-structured interview were employed for this study. The questionnaire administered with 31 participants was the primary data collection tool. The subsequent interview conducted with 14 of the participants served as a supplementary data. The findings indicated significantly differing attitudes towards native English-speaking teachers and non-native English speaking teachers in many areas. These domains comprised the teaching methods and styles; the understanding of students’ problems; grading and marking; language proficiency; personality, classroom behaviour and discipline; and the ability to communicate and interact with learners. Some differences were also reported in the way they assigned work and arranged learning activities and their attitudes towards students. Most participants given the choice had a strong favour to study with native English-speaking teachers. There appeared to be a strong positive rapport between studying with native English speaking teachers and the participants’ learning behaviours and eagerness to study English. Implications are made regarding teacher training, particularly for non-native English teachers and language teachers, be it native or non-native, having EFL teaching experience. Keywords: Attitudes; Native English Speaking Teachers; Non-Native English Speaking Teachers ; Learning Behaviours; Motivation

Idealized native-speaker linguistic and pragmatic norms in English as an international language: exploring the perceptions of nonnative English teachers

ABSTRACTDespite the global spread of English, it seems that voices from nonnative English teachers concerning English as an international language (EIL) are under-represented. To address the issue, this study sought to investigate the nonnative teachers’ perceptions of idealized native-speaker linguistic and pragmatic norms in the EIL context. Participants included 125 nonnative English-speaking teachers from the Persian context, falling within the expanding circle. Questionnaires and interviews were used to explore the teachers’ perceptions of native-speaker norms. Findings showed that the nonnative teachers gave preference to native-speaker linguistic norms despite the emerging nonnative EIL norms. Although most of the teachers accepted the existence of a number of accents in English, they preferred the standard American or British accent for language education. As to EIL pragmatic norms, the teachers argued that some degree of flexibility is acceptable with regard to the use of L1 pragmatic norms in the EIL context. The EFL teachers in the present study maintained that the transfer of L1 pragmatic norms to the nativized English makes English a legitimate and culturally appropriate variety in communication between nonnative speakers. The findings contribute to the reappraisal of ELT practices and the premises underpinning teaching EIL.

The Routledge advanced language training course for K-16 non-native Chinese teachers, by Hong Gang Jin, Lian Xue, Yusheng Yang, and Lan Zhao Zhou

<i>The Routledge advanced language training course for K-16 non-native Chinese teachers</i>, by Hong Gang Jin, Lian Xue, Yusheng Yang, and Lan Zhao Zhou

Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Multiculturalism in Relation to General and Diversity-Related Burnout

This study focuses on teachers’ general and diversity-related burnout in relation to teachers’ attitudes toward multiculturalism. Results are based on the responses of 120 teachers working at five different urban, ethnically diverse junior vocational high schools in the Netherlands. Analyses indicated that teachers with assimilative attitudes exhibited higher levels of general and diversity-related burnout, whereas there was no relationship between pluralistic attitudes and burnout. In addition, there were no relationships between teacher background variables and attitude and burnout, besides the finding that native teachers experienced less general burnout, and had less pluralistic attitudes, than nonnative teachers.

O ensino de pragmática por professores nativos e não-nativos de línguas: o que eles sabem e o que relatam estar fazendo

O artigo aborda a questão de como professores não-nativos de uma língua alvo (PNNs) lidam com a pragmática em suas salas de aula. Inicia com uma discussão sobre o que é pragmática. Em seguida, traz aspectos relacionados ao ensino de pragmática, tais como o background do professor, comparações entre ensino de segunda língua (L2) e língua estrangeira (LE) e o potencial da mídia digital e outros meios para prover modelos de comportamento pragmático. Após, é apresentada uma pesquisa internacional, a qual investigou as experiências de PNNs de várias línguas com relação ao ensino da pragmática. Um total de 113 professores relataram o que ensinavam: 30 professores nativos (PNs) e 83 professores não-nativos (PNNs). Foi solicitado a eles que falassem sobre suas experiências como professores de pragmática da L2 e LE. Sendo a pragmática uma mescla de língua e cultura, aos professores foi solicitado que avaliassem seus conhecimentos de pragmalinguística (formas linguísticas) e sociopragmática (conhecimento sociocultural). Ademais, foram instruídos a darem suas opiniões em relação a semelhanças e diferenças entre o ensino da pragmática da LE e da L2, pois essa dicotomia tradicional acarreta uma realidade mais híbrida em um mundo cada vez mais globalizado. Da mesma forma, perguntas foram feitas sobre seus métodos de ensino de pragmática, sua utilização de mídia digital e seu tratamento de diferenças dialetais. Por fim, foi-lhes solicitado que sugerissem áreas nas quais fossem desenvolvidas pesquisas sobre o ensino de pragmática. O artigo relata os resultados do estudo, incluindo dados sobre o ensino de censuras, sarcasmo e blasfêmia, além do uso de mídia digital e coleta de dados pragmáticos feita por alunos.

Message from editor

Dear Readers,It is the great honor for us to publish 9th volume, 4th issue of International Journal of Learning and Teaching.International Journal of Learning and Teaching (IJLT) is an international and multi-disciplinary which aims to provide a platform for the publication of the most advanced scientific research in the areas of learning, development, instruction and teaching. The journal welcomes original empirical investigations. The papers may represent a variety of theoretical perspectives and different methodological approaches. They may refer to any age level, from infants to adults and to a diversity of learning and instructional settings, from laboratory experiments to field studies. The major criteria in the review and the selection process concern the significance of the contribution to the area of learning and teaching. IJLT covers all aspects of education; trends in education, the emerging and educational settings, instructional design, learning-teaching methods and applications, instructional multimedia, new education environments, theoretical principles, assessment and evaluation and related fields.A total number of thirteen (13) manuscripts were submitted for this issue and each paper has been subjected to double-blind peer review process by the reviewers specialized in the related field. At the end of the review process, a total number of four (4) high quality research papers were selected and accepted for publication.Aim of this issue is to give the researchers an opportunity to share the results of their academic studies. There are different research topics discussed in the articles. For example, Enisa Mede, Gulcin Cosgun and Derin Atay carried out a qualitative study in order to find out and compare the speaking techniques that are used by native (NESTs) and non-native (NNESTs) instructors of English Preparatory Programs at universities around Turkey. They concluded that there are both similarities and differences among NESTs and NNESTs about implementing various techniques in EFL speaking classes. Nevertheless, Azhar Mahmood and Irshad Hussain aimed to find out the relationship between teacher empowerment and principal effectiveness in secondary schools of Islamabad and figured out that there are significant relationships between teacher empowerment and principal effectiveness. In addition, Remziye Ergul examined the problem-solving skills of teachers and showed that teachers were partially successful to solve the two-variables problem, but they failed to solve the three-variables problem. Finally, R. Vinothkanna, V. Swetha Reddy and M. Saritha Reddy conducted a study in order to intellectualize undergraduate education as a process of improving students along the path from novice towards proficient understanding within a given discipline.The topics of the next issue will be different. You can make sure that we will be trying to serve you with our journal with a rich knowledge in which different kinds of topics are discussed in 2017 Volume.I would like to present many thanks to all the contributors who helped to publish this issue.Best regards,Assoc. Prof. Dr. Olga PilliEditor – in Chief

The use of speaking techniques by Native and Non-Native English instructors: A case in Turkey

Although the primary goal of English language instruction is to assist students in acquiring communicative competence in l, developing this ability might be very challenging for teachers since not all language learners of English are willing to communicate in the target language. In order to develop their learners' communication skills and increase their students' willingness to speak, teachers utilize different techniques. The aim of this qualitative study is to find out and compare the speaking techniques that are used by native (NESTs) and non-native (NNESTs) instructors of English Preparatory Programs at universities around Turkey. Data gathered from the open-ended questionnaire revealed both similarities and differences among NESTs and NNESTs about implementing various techniques in EFL speaking classes. The findings of the study suggested some pedagogical implications both for instructors and students in relation to the improvement of the students' oral performance in language preparatory programs. Keywords: Speaking techniques, native instructors, non-native instructors, NESTs, NNESTs. Although the primary goal of English language instruction is to assist students in acquiring communicative competence in l, developing this ability might be very challenging for teachers since not all language learners of English are willing to communicate in the target language. In order to develop their learners’ communication skills and increase their students’ willingness to speak, teachers utilize different techniques. The aim of this qualitative study is to find out and compare the speaking techniques that are used by native (NESTs) and non-native (NNESTs) instructors of English Preparatory Programs at universities around Turkey. Data gathered from the open-ended questionnaire revealed both similarities and differences among NESTs and NNESTs about implementing various techniques in EFL speaking classes. The findings of the study suggested some pedagogical implications both for instructors and students in relation to the improvement of the students’ oral performance in language preparatory programs. Keywords: Speaking techniques, native instructors, non-native instructors, NESTs, NNESTs.

Native and Non-native English Speaking Teachers’ Teaching Styles and Their Effect on Their EFL Saudi Students’ Achievement and Enjoyment of Learning English at Taif University

The present research is going to assess the discrepancies between native and non-native instructors working at Taif University. The subjects have been 609 Saudi men and women EFL learners presenting themselves in a great English language plan at the preparatory year Science, Humanities and Health at Taif University. Moreover, 51 teachers (20) males and (31) females who are teaching staff members of the Taif University English Language Centre (TUELC) participated during the research. The research followed a descriptive analytical method. The Conti (1990) Principles of Adult Learning Scales (PALS) was used. Learning English Enjoyment questionnaire (LEEQ) that was developed by the researcher was used, too. Primary areas of investigation were teaching styles, students’ achievement and students’ enjoyment of learning English. Collectively, results provide some strong evidence that show a positive connection between native English speaking teachers’ styles and the students’ achievement and enjoyment. The effect of instruction experience, like the periods of instructing was considered in the present research. In addition, native and nonnative instructors who speak English are regarded also various in such domains as instruction strategies in the classes, levels of teaching tactical effectiveness.

The Metalinguistic and Linguistic Knowledge Tests and Their Relationship between Non-native In-service and Pre-service Teachers

Fairly recently, the construct of metalinguistic knowledge and its relation to L2 learners’ language proficiency have been the focus of numerous theoreticians, researchers, and the educators in the field. With respect to second language teachers assessment, however, little attempt has been made to explore the metalinguistic knowledge and its relationship between serving and non-serving teachers. The current study, accordingly, was designed to investigate whether there is a relationship between non-native in-service and pre-service teachers performing the metalinguistic and linguistic knowledge tests and if there is a difference between the two groups of teachers’ performance on these two tests. To collect the data on the two constructs of linguistic and metalinguistic knowledge, 80 non-native teachers performed on the Cloze Test and untimed Grammaticality Judgment Test from an English language institute. Following a range of statistical analyses, the findings revealed no positive correlation between the Linguistic and Metalinguistic tests both in the in-service and pre-service teachers of English language. It was also found that the two groups of teachers did not differ significantly with respect to their performance on the Linguistic test while the in-service teachers outperformed their counterpart in the Metalinguistic knowledge test.

Teaching English pronunciation by non-native teachers as seen by Slovak teachers

Abstract The English language has become the so called “world wide language” due to the fact that it is used globally in many spheres of everyday life - education, business, labour market, technology, tourism, travel and others. In Slovakia, the educational system supports schools in the acquisition of the language by granting more English classes per week, by financing textbook materials, by bridging teaching practice with research as well as making English a mandatory subject of school leaving exams. One of the crucial components in the English language education of Slovak learners appears to be the pronunciation. This language feature has its specificities and therefore it must be approached carefully. Although many researchers in Slovakia have focused on various aspects of English pronunciation, this article aims at the English teachers and their perception of this important issue. The survey focuses on Slovak teachers’ opinions about teaching English pronunciation to non-native learners, more specifically, about teaching techniques, error corrections, textbook materials and university teacher training.

Transforming cultural conflict in the foreign language classroom: the case of Arabic at Defense Language Institute

This paper considers the impact of global and national political polarisation on perspectives of instructors and learners in Arabic classrooms at Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) in the United States with particular interest in understanding cultural conflicts that occur between instructors and learners. Instructors and learners at DLIFLC responded to a survey, the qualitative data from which are analysed using discourse analysis, research in intercultural communication, and theories of pedagogy. The analysis indicates that while cultural conflict is part of the language-learning experience, there are communicative strategies to turn moments of discord into assets which often involve the ancillary role of non-native speaking instructors who assist in preventing and mediating conflict between native-speaking instructors and students. The paper begins with a brief literature review that informs our theoretical framework, and a description of the study, followed by an analysis of the data it generated and discussion of their implications for DLIFLC and similarly-situated classrooms.

First Language Interference and Form Focused Instruction

&lt;em&gt;This paper addresses EFL/ESL teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding the use of the first language in a language classroom pertaining to the Form-Focused Instruction - a grammar instruction approach. In essence, this study looks into whether the judicious use of L1 in learning the foreign or second language is effective or not. A case study strategy was deemed appropriate for this study to explore and investigate the beliefs and practices of the non-native teachers on the use of L1 in learning English as a foreign language. To this end, six English language teachers were selected from a Chinese secondary school. The data were collected through classroom observations and stimulated recall interview questions. The audio-recorded data were fully transcribed in English, and subjected to a process of interpretative analysis. The findings revealed that teachers used L1 mainly to present the target grammar topics, to explain the grammatical rules and also to encourage students for the explanation of the grammatical rules in there L1. It is therefore imperative to consider the results of this study as it may highlight some notable pedagogical implications regarding the assisted effects of the use of first language on foreign/second language learning. &lt;/em&gt;

NES Trajectories: From Untrained Language Teachers to Professional Academics

There is a growing literature on the professional identity development of two kinds of TESOL teachers: 1) non-native speaker novice teachers of...

A Study on Using Foreign Language in the Korean Classroom -focused on teacher’s linguistic background and educational environment-.

This study aims to investigate the cognition and practical use of foreign language in the Korean classroom. In order to examine the use of foreign language in various contexts, I classified the Korean teachers according to the linguistic backgrounds and the teaching locations. For the multi-faceted and in-depth study, an interview analysis of eight Korean teachers(2 each domestic native, overseas native, domestic non-native and overseas non-native teachers) and a survey of 117 Korean teachers were conducted. Through the interview analysis, we found some common ideas about using foreign language in the classroom. What should be emphasized here is that the use of the foreign language by the teachers surveyed is not determined by external factors but the active decision of the teacher through teacher cognition. In addition, the results of the survey showed that the rate of using foreign language in the overseas classrooms, and beginning levels are significantly higher than that of domestics and intermediate and above. And the analysis of the situations in which the foreign language is actually used and that is considered effective to use is conducted but still needs to be further analysed. (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies)

The Roles of Native and Non-native Teachers from a Perspective of EIL

The Roles of Native and Non-native Teachers from a Perspective of EIL