Non-native English Teachers Research Articles

Native English teachers (NETs) strategies in teaching English to non-native learners

Students prefer learning English with native English teachers (NETs) compared to non-native English teachers (NNETs). Knowing how the NETs teach in the class, like their learning activities, would be very interesting. The purpose of this research is to find out the strategies used by NETs in teaching English to non-native learners. Five NETs were chosen based on the demographic information questionnaires and to be interviewed to describe the strategies that they used in teaching English, especially speaking skills, to non-native learners. This is the qualitative design with the case study tradition. Three themes were found as the result of this study: NETs’ strategies in teaching English (how to begin the class, the activities during the class, and how to end the class), media used in teaching English, and games used during teaching. The various fun activities provided by the NETs in teaching English could be useful information for other NETs, fresh graduate English teaching students, and English teachers who want to teach English in non-native English countries.

Exploring native and non-native English speaker teachers' perceptions of English teacher qualities and their students' responses.

Due to globalization, English has gradually become a lingua franca, leading to a rising demand for proficient English teachers all over the globe. In China, more EFL teachers are being recruited, particularly at the tertiary level, with a greater preference for so-called "native English speaking teachers (NESTs)" over "non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs)" due to the impacts of native-speakerism. Research has shown NESTs, NNESTs, and students are often misaligned in terms of beliefs about language learning and teaching which affect teaching effectiveness as well as student achievement. Recognizing this issue, this study investigated NESTs', NNESTs', and Chinese English-major students' perceptions of characteristics of effective EFL teachers at four mid-tier universities across China. Findings from semi-structured interviews with 16 students suggest that NNESTs and Chinese English-major students had similar views on language learning and teaching. Both groups valued prerequisite qualities such as having expert knowledge, language skills, teaching skills, and professionalism. NESTs, however, valued qualities such as caring, patience, flexibility, engagement, and awareness of students' learning needs. These differences are likely the result of these two groups of teachers' linguistic, cultural, and educational background differences. The highly uniform views of the two groups of teachers suggest that they tended to emphasize certain qualities while disregarding others. These findings suggest the need to raise teachers' and students' awareness of the benefits of different types of teacher qualities so that curriculum design and lesson planning can be implemented for better instructional alignment to ultimately improve teaching effectiveness.

Academic literacy development and professional identity construction in non-native English-speaking novice English language teachers.

Studies examining students' academic literacy development have received increasing attention in the past two decades, with exponential growth in the literature since 2010. Despite this, there have been relatively few empirical studies on novice teachers' academic literacy learning process and the construction of teachers' professional identities. To address this issue, this study employed a longitudinal narrative inquiry to trace and evaluate the professional identity construction of two Chinese novice language teachers as they developed academic literacy in their master's and doctoral programs in the United States. The study adopted a Community of Practice (CoP) framework and drew upon various data sources, such as both novice teachers' coursework, reflection journals, statements of teaching philosophy, and other supplementary documents, to evaluate how each participant was socially engaged (or disengaged) in a new language education community and how they developed professional identities as language teachers in this process. The findings indicate that the pedagogical knowledge and theories acquired by both participants during their graduate studies informed their teaching methods and promoted their development of a researcher-teacher identity. In addition, the longitudinal data allowed for tracking changes in both participants' self-efficacy and emotions. While the stories of both novice teachers described the evolution of their teaching beliefs throughout their graduate studies, their narratives also highlighted a lack of micropolitical literacy training at the graduate level. This study contributes to our understanding of the connection between academic literacy development and the formation of teacher professional identity by shedding light on novice language teachers with a non-native English-speaking background. The implications for future research are also provided.

The Importance of Nonnative English Teachers in Costa Rica

In Costa Rican society, learning English has become a valuable tool to increase job opportunities, which has caused more hiring of teachers of this language. However, some institutions manifest preferences toward native teachers being perceived as the ideal tutor with a target model for language learning. Unfortunately, this causes nonnative English teachers (NNESTs) to suffer from discrimination when they are compared to native English teachers (NESTs). This paper aims to raise awareness in society to consider teachers´ competences and qualities when choosing an English educator because teaching requires more than having a high level in the use of the language. In this literature review, it will be able to recognize the benefits of learning English from NNESTs. Additionally, the analysis of related research was used to exemplify some reasons to qualify NNESTs as educators with sufficient competencies to teach. The results from the literature review suggest that NNESTs are more aware of the students’ needs and the importance of providing feedback. Being in the same position as most of their learners allows them to previously recognize the difficulties when learning English. Sharing students’ cultural backgrounds permits NNESTs to teach and guide students regarding their functions as individuals in society

Grammarly and Grammatical Errors Reduction: A Case for Non-Native English Teachers’ Professional Learning

Grammar has long been a source of aggravation for anyone learning a second language, not just English language learners, but also non-native English teachers. People can now employ Grammarly to correct their grammar mistakes, owing to the sophistication of modern technology. The debate over whether teachers use Grammarly as part of their professional development is ongoing. The purpose of this study was to identify the grammatical errors made by non-native English teachers when writing narrative texts before and after Grammarly checked them. The participants in this qualitative study were 24 English teachers from the English Teacher Association of Buleleng Regency in Bali, Indonesia. This study employed the surface approach taxonomy to analyze the grammatical errors and interviewed the teachers to elicit factors that contribute to grammatical errors. This study found that the most common type of misformation error, specifically the alternating form error, was found in both Grammarly-corrected and Grammarly-uncorrected texts. Furthermore, intralingual factors were responsible for the majority of errors. The integration of Grammarly into teachers' professional learning is discussed.

Reporting Verbs in Hard and Soft Sciences of Journal Article Abstracts: An Insight from Indonesia

Reporting verbs (RVs) express varying degrees of alignment and evaluate the credibility and merit of the reported claims in academic writing. This study aims to explore RVs’ tenses, frequencies, and functions in two major disciplines: hard science and soft science. Consequently, two specialised corpora were built from research article abstracts published in 2021–2022. The hard science corpus comprised 19,512 words; meanwhile, the soft science corpus contained 20,222 words. The Constituent Likelihood Automatic Word-tagging System (CLAWS) web tagger was utilised to identify RVs, and Antconc software was employed to retrieve RVs. The study findings revealed that RVs in hard science and soft science were employed in four tenses forms, i.e. past participle, present participle, infinitive, and past tense. Further, the study indicated that based on the frequencies, soft science employed RVs more frequently than hard science. However, based on functions, hard science utilised RVs more comprehensively than soft science. Hard science and soft science have distinctive ways of implementing RVs in the Indonesian journal article abstracts. Thus, designing an RVs list specialised for non-native English (NNE) students, authors, teachers, and instructors is recommended to strengthen each discipline’s academic writing proficiency.

Malaysian English Language Teachers’ Willingness, Readiness, Needs and Wants to Develop Graphic Oral History ELT Materials

Non-native English language teachers have long been de-professionalized being adopters of preponderant globalized English language teaching (ELT) coursebooks that offer an insignificant contribution to their students’ English language learning. This has spurred the design of the “Innovations in Materials Development” (IMD) module to train Malaysian English language teachers in developing graphic oral history ELT materials. This study reports on the initial (needs analysis) phase of the instructional design of the module; not only did the researchers examine the teachers’ willingness and readiness to develop their ELT materials, but they also investigated the teachers’ needs and wants to inform the design of the module. Qualitative findings from in-depth semi-structured individual interviews with five Malaysian in-service English language teachers showed that the teachers are willing to adopt the materials developer role; however, they are not ready as they lack ELT materials development experiences and training. In the context of the prospective module, they need training comprising ELT materials development principles and oral history and graphic novels as pedagogical tools. Moreover, the teachers expressed that they want the training to be practical and to involve group work, guidance, and materials samples. These findings established the need for the IMD module and helped the researchers identify and formulate the specific needs and wants of the teachers for the training to be efficient.

Teaching Pronunciation to Young Learners in an ELF Context An Analysis of Pronunciation Activities in English Coursebooks for the Primary School

This paper deals with the teaching of English pronunciation in the primary classroom. It starts from two major premises. First, the Lingua Franca status of English (ELF), which has prompted a shift in pronunciation teaching from the attainment of a native accent to the achievement of mutual intelligibility. Second, the features of today’s primary classroom, which is de facto an ELF context, the school population being characterised by a growing number of multilingual pupils and of non-native teachers of English. Three English coursebooks for the primary school are analysed to investigate: 1) if and which pronunciation-focussed activities are suggested; 2) if and what support is provided to the primary teacher to make the most of the activities; 3) whether any of such activities/support show a trend towards an early inclusion of ELF-aware pronunciation pedagogy.

Exploring the Effectiveness of Native and Non-Native English Teachers on EFL Learners’ Accuracy, Fluency, and Complexity in Speaking

This study aimed to investigate the impact of teacher type (native vs. non-native) on the oral performance of male intermediate English as a foreign language learners between the ages of 14 and 20 who possessed similar language proficiency levels. The participants were selected based on the results of a written test and an oral interview and were divided into two classes: one taught by a native speaker and the other by a non-native speaker. Following a -month treatment period, each learner was interviewed and their speech was recorded. The researchers analyzed the data for accuracy, fluency, and lexical complexity. The statistical analyses revealed that learners taught by the native-speaking teacher demonstrated greater fluency and lexical complexity in their oral production, while those taught by the non-native teacher showed greater accuracy in their spoken language production. These findings suggest that the teacher type has different effects on language learning outcomes. The implications of these results extend to policymakers, administrators, and those involved in the employment and training of language teachers in Iran.

The Validity of Hiring Native and Non-Native English-Speaking Instructors: Professional Observers', Learners', and Programme Administrators' Perceptions

In the recent past, considerable attention has been directed towards the issues relating to non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs) and native English speaker teachers (NESTs) in English language teaching (ELT), especially their employability as English language teachers. This study aimed to investigate the hiring process for an English as a foreign language (EFL) instructor position. The study has adopted a mixed-design approach using a structured questionnaire on 212 students from the Preparatory Year Program (PYP) at Princess Nora University (PNU) and the Common First Year (CFY) at King Saud University (KSU) and semi-structured interviews on six programme administrators and professional observers from the higher education language institutions in Saudi Arabia to achieve the study’s objectives. Specifically, this study examined three areas: a) the programme administrators’ perception of the hiring criteria of both NESTs and NNESTs; b) the professional observers' perception of the hiring criteria used, linking them to the performance of both NESTs and NNESTs in EFL classes and providing criteria that they deem necessary; and c) the learners' perception of the characteristics of an effective EFL instructor to support the latter's perception. The results revealed that being a native speaker was not important from the perception of programme administrators, professional observers, and learners. However, programme administrators, professional observers, and learners gave more importance to other criteria such as pedagogical skills, personal qualities, and the ability to teach.

Citation Practices in Colombian Undergraduate English Teachers’ Academic Writing

Citation is a crucial rhetorical aspect that plays a fundamental role within academic writing and it is a problematic area for novice writers, especially nonnative undergraduate English teachers. However, little is known about how these teachers cite in the theoretical framework chapters of their monograph. This articles aims at describing the citation practices in a corpus conformed by 22 theoretical framework chapters of monographs written by undergraduate English teachers (UETs) in Colombia. The analysis was constituted by the citation typology of Swales (1986,1990) and Petriḉ’s (2007) functional taxonomy of citations. The results indicate that integral citation is the most used citation type in the corpus of UETs which depicts a simple for of citation. Related to functions, the attribution is highly dominant in this corpus which entails an undergraduate English teachers’ limitation in the variety of function citation. This study can be used to raise awareness on nonnative undergraduate English teachers towards better citation practices in their disciplinary academic papers.

Teachers' Perception of The Implementation of Pilot Teacher Training on EMI

As teachers are an essential element in education, there is always a need to improve their skills from time to time. The training that teachers get varies, depending on the need of the teachers themselves or the institution they work for. In Al-Hasra Foundation, there is a need for internationalizing the institution so the teachers were equipped with training on EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction). This training was the first training conducted to meet the internalization need of the institution. Therefore, this study was aimed at knowing the perception the teachers have towards the first implementation of the training. The result of this research is beneficial for both the teachers and the institution because the teachers' perception will affect the success of the training itself for both sides. Fifteen non-English teachers of Al Hasra foundation joined the teacher training. The data of this research were taken from the questionnaires and the classroom observation. The results of the questionnaires were analyzed to get the percentage while the classroom observation was analyzed to enrich the findings. The result showed that teachers of Al-Hasra Foundation performed a positive perception towards the pilot teacher training on EMI by demonstrating that the training has improved their knowledge of the use of English in a classroom context, and it has increased their motivation and self-confidence in conducting the teaching activity in English.

Enthusiasm, obsession, or delusion? language ideologies and negotiating identities of one non-native English teacher in an EFL context

ABSTRACT As a part of longitudinal qualitative research project, this case study is an examination of how one Korean EFL teacher, an English enthusiast, developed his multiple identities within his school, home, and social communities. Examination of his trajectories in these domains sheds light on how the native-speakerism ideology prevailing in Korea had influenced the non-native English-speaking teacher’s identity development and was affecting his life as a language learner, a language teacher, and a parent. Three of his identities emerged from this study: a language learner who was struggling to join the community of native English speakers, a language teacher who was seeking students’ validation of his qualifications as a good English teacher, and a parent who expected his children to achieve his long-sought but seemingly unattainable goal of having native-like English proficiency. However, these identities were neither passively stable nor fixed, but rather were being constantly and actively negotiated. The findings suggest the necessity of taking a critical perspective on definitions of native speakers, on the impact of native-speakerism on the professional identity construction of non-native English-speaking teachers in EFL contexts, and on its effects on their domestic and social lives.

Understanding Pragmatics as a Way to Practice Natural Communication Skills in Various Contexts of Interactions

Students’ problems in using English to communicate need to be handled seriously. Teaching English is no more teaching the knowledge of English only but also the use of context. This library research elaborates on the importance of pragmatics for EFL students to improve their communication skills in various contexts of interaction and to strengthen the importance of pragmatic competence for non-native English teachers in teaching natural English communication. Documentation is the collecting technique using a checklist and fieldnote instruments. The primary sources are theories about pragmatics and teaching communication from books and published journals. In order to obtain correct and precise results in analyzing data, a content analysis technique is used. The data analysis procedure covers determining the design, which is linkage analysis, finding main data, and theories about pragmatics from books, then finding contextual knowledge from published research related to pragmatics and teaching English communication, and finally, writing and interpreting the linkage to describe the results. The findings show that pragmatics should not limitedly act as classroom instructions but as competence to be constantly developed and practised for students or teachers. Pragmatics should be seen from its whole aspect in order to communicate naturally and contextually. It can also be concluded that opportunities for pragmatic practice should be provided to achieve the goal of teaching English, that is, the ability to use English in various contexts of interaction.

Guided-blended collaborative learning in speaking class: Voices of non-native English teachers and students from eastern Indonesia

Guided-blended collaborative learning in speaking class: Voices of non-native English teachers and students from eastern Indonesia

Guided-blended collaborative learning in speaking class: Voices of non-native English teachers and students from eastern Indonesia

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore and address two important questions from ten qualified non-native English teachers and five students who have been actively involved as research participants: (1) how non-native English teachers help students improve their English speaking performance through guided-blended collaborative learning, and (2) how non-native English teachers and students view guided-blended collaborative learning as a way of improving students’ English speaking performance. Based on an in-depth interview with five students and an analysis of documents, it is clear that when teachers gave their students both synchronous and asynchronous feedback, the students' speaking skills improved. The data that has been analyzed thematically showed that collaborative learning is successful and should be utilized to teach speaking English as a foreign language, they found, teachers should use the following strategies when teaching GBCL: 1) Mixing synchronous and asynchronous learning; 2) Being guided or controlled by the teachers; 3) Forming groups based on roles; 4) Peer tutoring and evaluation; and 5) Collaborative integrated tasks with technology. In addition, we would like future studies to use real experimental and control class designs to conduct guided blended collaborative learning.

Thai Primary Students’ Perceptions Towards The Effectiveness Of A Non-Native English Teacher (NNET)

Thai students might have different perceptions of their Non-Native English Teacher (NNET). This study attempted to investigate the perceptions towards the effectiveness of Non-Native English Teacher (NNET) among Thai primary students’ overview. According to the purpose, three instruments were included in this research: observation, questionnaire, and interview. A qualitative analysis based on a descriptive approach is used in this research. The researcher distributed the instruments online through Google Meet and Google Forms. The questionnaire and interview were taken from a previous study in 2009 by Shishavan and Karim. Eight statements in the questionnaire have been tested for validity and reliability using SPSS. Two central questions were asked in English and answered in Thai. The participants are 12 students in the sixth grade at Ban Loeiwangsai School, Loei Province, Thailand. The result shows that a Non-Native English Teacher (NNET) could bring better effects to Thai students in sharpening and enhancing their English. Also, it can motivate them to be fluent in English.

Citation difficulties in nonnative undergraduate English teachers’ monographs

Citation use is a significant challenge for Colombian undergraduate English teachers. Continuing the line of inquiry on citation difficulties in nonnative novice writers, the present study aims at describing the main difficulties this group of students have in citing external sources. The analysis was carried out on 30 theoretical framework chapters from their monographs. Findings indicate that (1) Some undergraduate English teachers lack further textual elaboration since they just cite but do not explain or make a comment to complement the external authors’ idea; (2) These undergraduate English teachers lack citation type variety because the predominat citation type is integral citation, turning the disocurse monotonous; (3) These teachers highly employ attribution as the main citation function which indicates an epistemological dependency on key disciplinary authors since external authors’ ideas are duplicated. This study can be used to raise awareness on nonnative undergraduate English teachers towards better citation practices in their disciplinary academic papers, which can be supported by (a) formal direct instruction in writing composition courses, in research tutoring sessions, etc., and in institutional research hotbeds; (b) analysis of experts’ texts to identify and understand the important features of academic English; (c) incorporation of studies like the present one and others in the universiry syllabus of research and writing composition courses.

Decoding the Myths of the Native and Non-Native English Teachers on the Language Acquisition of Turkish Post-Secondary Students

Decoding the Myths of the Native and Non-Native English Teachers on the Language Acquisition of Turkish Post-Secondary Students

Mask and Cloze: Automatic Open Cloze Question Generation Using a Masked Language Model

This paper conducts the first trial to apply a masked language AI model and the “Gini coefficient” to the field of English study. We propose an algorithm named CLOZER that generates open cloze questions that inquiry knowledge of English learners. Open cloze questions (OCQ) have been attracting attention for both measuring the ability and facilitating the learning of English learners. However, since OCQ is in free form, teachers have to ensure that only a ground truth answer and no additional words will be accepted in the blank. A remarkable benefit of CLOZER is to relieve teachers of the burden of producing OCQ. Moreover, CLOZER provides a self-study environment for English learners by automatically generating OCQ. We evaluated CLOZER through quantitative experiments on 1,600 answers and show its effectiveness statistically. Compared with human-generated questions, we also revealed that CLOZER can generate OCQs better than the average non-native English teacher. Additionally, we conducted a field study at a high school to clarify the benefits and hurdles when introducing CLOZER. Then, on the basis of our findings, we proposed several design improvements.