The Professional Identity of EFL Teachers: The Complexity of Nativeness

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-24
Author(s):  
Adina Mannes ◽  
Yaacov J Katz
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Study Support ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking Teachers ◽  
Linguistic Backgrounds

The current study quantitatively examines the professional identity of 150 EFL teachers in the Israeli educational system. Findings indicate that native English-speaking teachers (“NESTs”) rate themselves higher than non-native English-speaking teachers. Still, fewer differences between the groups were found than predicted. While the results of this study support the idea of considering native English proficiency to be advantageous, the global situation of English use suggests that a different direction should be adopted. Taking advantage of the strengths of each group by embracing cooperation between teachers from different linguistic backgrounds could contribute to a stronger professional identity for language teachers, thus reducing the dichotomy between native English speakers and those who do not speak English natively.

scholarly journals NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS VERSUS NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS: THE IMPACT OF LANGUAGE TEACHERS ON EFL LEARNER'S ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Tariq Elyas ◽  
Noor Motlaq Alghofaili
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking Teachers ◽  
The Impact

In the field of TESOL, the perception that Native English Speaking Teachers (NESTs) are better than Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (NNESTs) has influenced language schools, recruitment policies and institutional leadership practices. The tendency to recruit more NESTs and achieve improved learning outcomes can be seen in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) contexts. This paper aims to investigate whether NESTs or NNESTs have any impact on the EFL learners� language proficiency in Saudi EFL context. This quantitative study adopts pretest-posttest experimental and ex post facto designs to determine students� achievement in two language skills, namely speaking and listening. The two groups of participants are EFL students in a foundation year program at a Saudi Arabian University. One group was taught by a NEST and the other by a NNEST. The quantitative data were analyzed by using SPSS. The findings indicated that teachers� nativeness and backgrounds have no significant effects on the Saudi EFL learners� speaking and listening skills. Here, Saudi EFL learners can equally perform in classes taught by NESTs or NNESTs. In the light of the findings, the study suggests that recruitment policy should not be influenced by the employers� belief that NESTs possess better teaching skills than NNESTs.��

Preparing the Non-Native English-Speaking Teacher (NNEST) For the EFL Classroom: A Teacher Trainer Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid AL HARIRI
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Teacher Trainees ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking Teacher ◽  
Native English Speaking Teachers ◽  
Teacher Trainer

This article explores the attitudes of English language teacher trainers (ELTTs) toward how Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (NNESTs) should be prepared to succeed in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL). A number of ELTTs were surveyed to share their opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of NNEST Trainees in respect of language, culture, and the use of modern teaching methodology. Then, the trainers compared and contrasted some aspects between native and non-native English-speaking teacher trainees. Finally, the results indicate certain aspects that NNESTs need to be more aware of and that native English speakers must also be trained before entering the EFL world.

scholarly journals NATIVESPEAKERISM AND WORLD ENGLISHES: TEACHERS PERCEPTION TOWARDS NON-NATIVE ENGLISH VARIETIES

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Maraden Silalahi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Contextual Understanding ◽  
The World ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking Teachers

<p>In the last decade, the development of information technology confirms English as a Lingua Franca used by native English speakers and nonnative English speakers. English in a global context has triggered the emergence of new English variants, resulting from the assimilation of English into a local language known as World Englishes. On the other hand, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEAFL) in Indonesia is still oriented towards the ideology of nativespeakerism which believes that TEAFL should be done by Native English-Speaking Teachers (NEST) because they are believed to have better linguistic competence and contextual understanding than Nonnative English-Speaking Teachers (NNEST). This article is directed to determine the perceptions of English teachers in Indonesia regarding the world Englishes phenomenon. This research is qualitative research with 20 informants consisting of 10 Nonnative English-Speaking Teachers and 10 Native English-Speaking Teachers. Four Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), each consisting of 5 informants, will be conducted to gather as much information as possible related to teachers’ perceptions. This research is expected to provide an overview of foreign language teaching in Indonesia. The results showed that nativespeakerism has a strong correlation with the world Englishes phenomenon. In the Indonesian context, this is shaped by the stigma that forms in society. This research is expected to enrich teaching studies, specifically in teaching foreign languages.</p>

Strategies For Improving Academic Performance By Non-Native English Speakers In Graduate Programs

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracye A. Todd ◽  
Terrye A. Stinson ◽  
Thillainatarajan Sivakumaran
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Academic Needs ◽  
The Past ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
K 12

Over the past decade, the number of non-native English speaking students in higher education has increased dramatically. Educators at all levels have experienced challenges in meeting the academic needs of these students and continue to seek strategies for addressing these challenges. This paper describes some of this research related to K-12 and suggests ways for applying the results to improve the academic performance of non-native English speaking students in U.S. graduate programs. Educators in higher education can benefit from the research focused on K-12 and should seek ways to replicate the successful strategies in the graduate classroom.

scholarly journals Non-native English-speaking English language teachers: History and research

2008 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucie Moussu ◽  
Enric Llurda
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
English Speaking

Although the majority of English language teachers worldwide are non-native English speakers, no research was conducted on these teachers until recently. After the pioneering work of Robert Phillipson in 1992 and Peter Medgyes in 1994, nearly a decade had to elapse for more research to emerge on the issues relating to non-native English teachers. The publication in 1999 of George Braine's bookNonnative educators in English language teachingappears to have encouraged a number of graduate students and scholars to research this issue, with topics ranging from teachers' perceptions of their own identity to students' views and aspects of teacher education. This article compiles, classifies, and examines research conducted in the last two decades on this topic, placing a special emphasis on World Englishes concerns, methods of investigation, and areas in need of further attention.

Review of Research on EFL Teachers’ Knowledge, Beliefs and Classroom Practices

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-65
Author(s):  
Elena Coyle
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Environmental Support ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking Teachers

At the time of globalization, a need for teachers of English is growing. Teachers who teach English without environmental support are called teachers of English as a foreign language, or EFL teachers. EFL teachers are divided into native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs). To gain a greater understanding of NESTs’ of EFL and NNESTs’ of EFL work, I reviewed research on the teachers’ knowledge and beliefs and classroom practices and compared and contrasted those. Such comparing and contrasting showed that there are both similarities and differences between the teachers’ knowledge and beliefs and classroom practices.

scholarly journals The Choice of Tense in Translation into the Second Language

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 187
Author(s):  
Meng-Lin Chen ◽  
Dahui Dong
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Past Tense ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Present Perfect ◽  
Parallel Corpus ◽  
English Writing ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking

<p><em>English tense is widely believed as one of the most problematic areas in the “interlanguage”, which includes non-native English speakers’ English writing and translations into the translator’s second language. This study aims to investigate the relationships between the tense choice in translation, the tense in the Chinese source text, and the translation competence of translators. A small Chinese-English parallel corpus has been built with 127 translations of Chinese press editorials by experienced native English speaking translators, experienced native Chinese speaking translators, and novice native Chinese speaking translators. Cross-tabulate analyses of this study have shown that the three groups of translators differ from one another significantly in their handling of marked Chinese past tense verbs, while they do not when translating Chinese sentences with contextually marked tense. This study suggests that in order to improve their translation </em><em>quality</em><em>, (1) experienced native Chinese speaking translators need to increase the</em><em> percentages</em><em> of Present Simple, Present Progress, Present Perfect, and Past Simple, and reduce the</em><em> percentag</em><em>e</em><em>s</em><em> of Past Perfect</em><em> in their translation</em><em>; (2) novice native Chinese speaking translators need to increase the</em><em> percentages</em><em> of Present Simple, and Present Progress, and reduce the </em><em>percentages</em><em> of Past Perfect, Past Simple, and Present Perfect</em><em> in their translation.</em><em> </em></p>

scholarly journals Beliefs versus Declared Practices of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Teachers Regarding Teaching Grammar

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Merav Badash ◽  
Efrat Harel ◽  
Rivi Carmel ◽  
Tina Waldman
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Self Report ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking Teachers ◽  
Teaching Grammar

This study investigated English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' beliefs, perceptions and declared practices of teaching grammar within a communicative language teaching (CLT) framework. Participants included 221 EFL teachers, who were teaching during the years 2013-2018 in different grades and schools throughout Israel. Participants were graduates of teacher training programs in colleges and universities and included Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (NNEST) and Native English Speaking Teachers (NEST).An on-line, self-report survey designed specifically for this study contained three closed questions and two open-ended questions. One-way ANOVA statistics, and mean scores of all the responses were performed on the quantitative data.  Qualitative data were grouped, analyzed, and coded.Results show a discrepancy between EFL teachers' perceptions and declared practices of teaching grammar in classrooms. Results further reveal significant differences between NEST and NNEST teachers, as well as differences between teachers who teach in different grades (elementary school, junior high school and high school). Moreover, 'vocabulary' and 'speaking' were ranked of highest importance (58% and 55%, respectively), whereas 'writing' and 'grammar' were considered least important (24%). These findings have valuable implications for teachers and teacher education regarding teaching grammar in context and using contextualized activities.

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