What Are The Respective Strengths and We
What Are The Respective Strengths and We
What Are The Respective Strengths and We
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Native and non-native speaker teachers often display considerable differences in
their approaches to teaching, as the routes used by the two groups in their paths to
becoming successful teachers are not the same. Native speaker (NS) and non-native
speaker (NNS) teachers use English differently and, therefore, teach differently. But do
these differences carry any value judgement? That is, is it true that, by virtue of having a
better command of the language, native teachers perform better in the classroom?
Conversely, is it true that the more deficient the teacher is in the target language, the less
This essay will examine and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of native and
non-native speaker English teachers by defining these concepts and examining the
perceptions associated therein. After analysing the advantages and disadvantages of both
teaching groups, the essay will then determine whether the differences between native
speaker and non-native English speaker teachers mean that linguists should focus on who
makes the better teacher rather than what makes a better teacher.
In the last few years there has been an ever-growing number of non-native
speakers and learners of English in the world. As a result of these escalating demands in
English instruction, the majority of trained ESL/EFL teachers in the world are NNS
teachers. These teachers are used to provide English instruction exclusively in EFL
contexts, but now are found occupying teaching positions in English-speaking countries
a linguistic and sociolinguistic point of view. Some experts argue that efforts to define
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1983), giving applied linguists another reason to claim not only that native and non-
native speakers have equal rights in using language, but also that there is no use in setting
up two separate categories (Rampton, 1990). Davies (1991) further delved into ‘native
speaker’ identity, and thus formulated the key question of whether a second language
(L2) learner can become a native speaker of the target language and concluded that L2
learners can become native speakers of the target language, and master the intuition,
native speakers.
speaker. What about an Indian for whom English was the language of school instruction
and has been the language of professional communication ever since? He does not fit into
either the native- or the non-native-speaker slot. Indeed, countries where English is a
1992: 340). Evidence from case studies exists of individuals who could not easily be
problems in stating whether they belonged to one group or another. (Brutt-Griffler &
Samimy 2001). There are several cases of people who, due to the environment where
they acquired a particular language, can hardly be classified as either NSs or NNSs of
that language, as is the case of bilingual speakers, especially those in countries where
English is a non-native variety such as Hong Kong. In such cases, we would have a NS of
a ‘non-native variety’ (Moussu & Llurda 2008: 318). It may be quite difficult to refer to
all non-native speakers as though they belonged to a fairly homogeneous group, given the
many and very diverse geographical, cultural and linguistic backgrounds they may bring
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with their non-native status.
• the ideal NS teacher is the one who has achieved a high degree of proficiency in
• the ideal NNS teacher is the one who ‘has achieved near-native proficiency’ in
In a later discussion about NNS teachers’ advantages and disadvantages, Medgyes (1994)
6) In EFL settings, they can use the students’ native language to their advantage.
(Medgyes 1994).
would by definition be superior to their non-native colleague. It would also follow that
any native speaker, with or without EFL qualifications, would be more effective than any
non-native speaker. As this contradicts Medgyes’s findings one must assume that other
variables of teaching skill that have a bearing on teaching practices exist. It is certainly
the case that variables such as experience, age, sex, aptitude, charisma, motivation,
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training, and so on play a decisive role in the teaching/learning process. As non-
language-specific variables, they can apply to native and non-native teachers in equal
measure (Medgyes 1992:346). Many students appreciate the value of NNSs and do in fact
prefer them to NSs in certain contexts and for certain classroom tasks. This provokes the
need to analyse whether the discrepancies in their teaching behaviour are merely
One of the earliest reflections about the differences between native and
non-native speaking EFL/ESL teachers was the importance of providing students with a
‘real’ model. These ‘real’ models speak the language of the students natively and have
learned to speak English well, as opposed to the ‘foreign’ models (NSs), who do not
share the cultural, social, and emotional experiences of the students (Edge 1988). NSs are
better teachers in EFL contexts, because of their unique cultural knowledge, whereas
NNSs are better teachers in ESL contexts, because of their multicultural experience. This
view, however, is not shared by all experts, many of whom believe that NNS teachers are
One unique advantage NNS English teachers have over NS teachers is that they
can empathise very well with their students’ learning difficulties and understand what it
is to be homesick and to experience culture shock in ESL contexts (Arva & Medgyes
their students since they are rarely able to make useful comparisons and contrasts with
the learners’ first language and are often unable to empathise with students going through
the learning process (Barratt & Kontra 2000). Even more importantly, NNS teachers can
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be greatly admired by their students because they are successful role models and are often
very motivated (Lee 2000). NNS teachers ‘provide models of proficient [L2] users in
action in the classroom [and also] examples of people who have become successful [L2]
users’ (Cook 2005: 57). That is, NNSs demonstrate to their students what it is possible to
do with a second language and their appreciation for that language and its culture.
of their students’ judgment can make EFL teachers feel constantly self-conscious of their
mistakes (Reves & Medgyes 1994). This ‘self-discrimination’ often leads to a poorer
self-image, which further deteriorates language performance, which, in turn could lead to
an even stronger feeling of inferiority. This point of view may seem extreme, and yet
other language teachers, new teachers of all languages, or any teacher with poor self-
esteem, might experience similar feelings. It seems acceptable, however, for NS teachers
to make some occasional mistakes while teaching, or not to know all the details about the
English language (Amin 2004). In contrast, when NNS teachers make the same mistakes
or do not know everything about the English language, their teaching abilities and
competencies are often immediately questioned (Canagarajah 2005). This attitude from
the students, NS colleagues, and often even from the NNS teachers themselves, will often
the privileged status of NS English teachers and their self-evaluations of their English
proficiency. First, she found out that approximately 60% of her respondents supported the
notion that native speakers of English were the best ESL/EFL teachers and only 13% did
not. These teachers also believed that ‘standard English’ only (British and American
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English) should be taught to EFL students. Second, her respondents self-evaluated
themselves as having stronger reading skills than writing and oral (fluency, grammar, and
vocabulary) skills. Interestingly, the teachers who believed they had the lowest English
proficiency were also those who most strongly believed that English was best taught by
NSs.
Both NS and NNS teachers receive positive and negative comments. Native
speakers are praised for their oral skills, large vocabulary, and cultural knowledge, but
criticised for their poor knowledge of grammar, their lack of experience as ESL learners,
speakers are valued for their experiences as ESL learners, their knowledge of grammar
and their ‘stricter methodology,’ hard work, ability to answer questions, and literacy
skills. Negative responses about NNS teachers included poorer oral skills and lack of
knowledge about the ‘English-speaking’ culture (Moussu 2002). Such perceptions are
also shared by ESL/EFL administrators about how they perceive NS and NNS teachers’
strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, the respondents readily recognised NNSs’
pedagogical skills and praised them for their ‘[knowledge on] how to use multiple
‘creativity in the classroom’ and high academic and proficiency standards and
expectations for students (Moussu 2006). On the other hand, administrators identified
confidence. Several administrators noted, however, that few of these weaknesses were
particular to NNSs and that hiring NSs was often a political and money-driven move.
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Native and non-native teachers can bring interesting and useful insights about
their perceived differences, strengths, and weaknesses, but cannot always be objective
judges of how their students perceive them. This highlights the importance of ESL
students’ attitudes and beliefs about NS and NNS teachers in different settings.
appreciated with NS teachers. In the case of NNS teachers, their ability to empathise with
students, a shared cultural background, and their stricter expectations were seen as
strengths. As with previous studies, students agree that professional skills (such as
knowledge of their subject, preparation, being able to make lessons interesting and fun
and to motivate students, etc.) were more essential than language skills (Cheung 2002).
attitude toward error correction, and the use of new teaching methodologies. Negative
comments made about these NS teachers included lack of pedagogical and professional
preparation, poor teaching styles, lack of organization and preparation, poor knowledge
of the local culture and educational values, problems with different English accents, and
Many experts maintain that the general preferences are for a combination
of native speaker teachers and non-native speaker teachers, but in fact there only seems to
be a stronger preference for native speaker teachers, as one goes higher up through the
educational system and that respondents see native speaker teachers, and non-native
speaker teachers, as each being more suited to different phases in language education
(Lasagabaster & Sierra 2002). From these results, it appears that students do not seem to
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have a strongly negative attitude towards their ESL/EFL NNS teachers in general and
recognise that experience and professionalism are more important than native language
backgrounds. Most importantly, these studies also show that different contexts and
variables could influence students’ attitudes towards NS and NNS teachers. Accent, for
example, did not negatively affect students’ attitudes toward their NNS teachers. In fact,
students held generally positive attitudes toward the teachers and believed that accent was
features, such as ‘being interesting’, ‘being prepared’, ‘being qualified’, and ‘being
professional’, played a central role in students’ opinions of their teachers, and students
appeared to base their opinions more on the level of professionalism than on the language
weaknesses of NS and NNS teachers are perceived differently, it is not always clear as to
how and why. One could determine that what can be viewed as a weakness by one party
may be viewed as an asset by another. Depending on the extent to which they are
proficient as users of English, NNS teachers are more or less trustworthy models. In
contrast, though NS teachers can act as perfect language models, they cannot be learner
models since they are not learners of English in the sense that NNS teachers are
(Medgyes 1992).
There are significant differences between NS and NNS teachers in terms of their
teaching practice. These differences can all be attributed to their divergent language
background. However, a teacher's effectiveness does not hinge upon whether they are a
native or non-native speaker of English. Factors such as the age and level of the students,
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the goals and objectives of the program, and the personality and teaching skills of the
The concept of 'the ideal teacher' is not one reserved for either category.
The ideal NS teacher and the ideal NNS teacher arrive from different directions but
eventually stand quite close to each other. Both groups of teachers serve equally useful
purposes in their own terms. In an ideal school, there should be a good balance of NS and
NNS teachers, who complement each other in their strengths and weaknesses.
divergences and place them under close scrutiny by sensitising teachers both to their
limitations and potentials, and suggest ways they could make progress within their own
constraints. In analysing the various contributions, the central message is that it is the
teachers are best suited for each teaching context and that the ultimate conclusion is that
most participants identify pros and cons of both native speaker and non-native speaker
teachers and that non-nativeness is not the principal criterion students used to judge a
teacher.
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