Distinctive Aspects of Native and Non-Native English Speaking Teachers and Their Performances in Thai Universities
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Published:
Aug 30, 2019
Keywords:
NESTs NNESTs English Language Teaching
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Abstract
In today’s globalized world, English is used as an international language and a tool for communication among multilingual and multicultural speakers in diverse contexts and purposes. As a consequence, the outnumbering of Native English Speaking Teachers (NESTs) by Non-native English Speaking Teachers (NNESTs) is undeniable and the inequality is on the uptrend. In this light therefore, this paper aims to investigate the perception of Thai university students and lecturers on the prevailing divide between NESTs and NNESTs in Thailand. A questionnaire survey of 200 Thai students and 20 Thai English lecturers across four universities in Thailand were sampled. A semi-structured interview was employed for qualitative data collection from 20 students and 10 lecturers across the selected universities. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings showed that NESTs and NNESTs are constructed differently by the participants in five major aspects: Cultural sensitivity, Language background, Teaching capacity, Persona, and Employment preference. Key to this finding is the fact that being NESTs or NNESTs do not affect teaching performance. They are perceived by the participants as equally qualified English teachers. However, a discriminatory hiring practice, which favors NESTs, are still reported due to Thai traditional ideologies and external pressures from the Thai society. This has potential implications for how educational institutions and hiring agencies should not continue the discriminatory hiring practices for both groups of English teachers in Thailand.
Article Details
How to Cite
Waelateh, B., Boonsuk, Y., Ambele, E. A., & Wasoh, F.- ezah. (2019). Distinctive Aspects of Native and Non-Native English Speaking Teachers and Their Performances in Thai Universities. Chiang Mai University Journal of Humanities, 20(2), 225–257. Retrieved from https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/JHUMANS/article/view/213176
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Research Articles
References
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Bloomfield, L. (1933). Language. New York: H. Holt and company.
Bolton, K. (2003). Chinese Englishes: A Sociolinguistic History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Borg, S. (2003). Teacher cognition in language teaching: A review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and do. Language teaching, 38, 81-109.
Braine, G. (2010). Nonnative Speaker English Teachers: Research, Pedagogy, and Professional Growth. New York: Routledge.
Buripakdi, A. (2008). Thai English as Discourse of Exclusion and Resistance: Perspectives of Thai Professional Writers on the Notion of Thai English (Unpublished PhD Dissertation, Indiana University of Pensylvania).
Canagarajah, A. S. (1999). Resisting linguistic imperialism in English teaching. Oxford, U.K: Oxford University Press.
Canagarajah, A. S. (2005). Reclaiming the Local in Language Policy and Practice. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Carless, R. (2006). Good practices in team teaching in Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. System, 34, 341-51.
Cheung, Y. L., & Braine, G. (2007). The attitudes of university students towards non-native speakers English teachers in Hong Kong. RELC Journal, 28, 257-277.
Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Cook, V. (1999). Going beyond the native speaker in language teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 33(2), 185-209.
Coppieters, R. (1987). Competence difference between native and near-native speakers. Language, 63, 544-573.
Crystal, D. (1985). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Crystal, D. (2003). The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Davies, A. (2003). The Native Speaker: Myth and Reality. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Edge, J. (1988). Natives, Speakers, and Models. JALT Journal, 9(2), 153-157.
ESL Employment. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.eslemployment.com.
Foley J. A. (2005). English in Thailand, RELC Journal, 36, 223-234.
Graddol, D. (2006). English next: Why global English may mean the end of ‘English as a Foreign Language’. British Council.
Hodal, K. (2012). Thai schools urged to boost speaking. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/feb/14/thailand-speak-english-campaign.
Holliday, A. (2008). Standards of English and politics of inclusion. Language Teaching, 41(1), 119-130.
Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and Identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jindapitak, N. (2014). English pronunciation teacher preference: Thai university English learners' views. Proceedings of INTED2014 Conference, 4982-4991.
Jindapitak, N., & Teo, A. (2013). Accent priority in a Thai university context: A common sense revisited. English Language Teaching, 6(9), 193-204.
Kirkpatrick, A. (2010). English as a lingua franca in ASEAN. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Lin, X. (2005). Quality characteristics of excellent Chinese college English teachers [Electronic version]. Sino-US English Teaching, 2(5), 25-27.
Lortie, D. C. (1975). Schoolteacher: A sociological study. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Kachru, B. B. (Ed.). (1992). The other tongue: English across cultures (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
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Ma, L. P. E. (2009). Students perceptions of native teachers and local Enlgish teachers. In A. Mahboob & c. Lipovsky (Eds.), Studies in applied linguistics and language learning (pp. 325-348). Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Cambridge scholar.
Mahboob, A. (2003). Status of nonnative English-speaking teachers in the United States (Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Indiana University)
Mahboob, A., Uhrig, K., Newman, K. L., & Hartford, B. S. (2004). Children of lesser English: Status of nonnative English speakers as college-level English as a Second Language teachers in the United States. In L. Kamhi-Stein (Ed.), Learning and teaching from experience: Perspectives on nonnative Englishspeaking professionals (pp. 100-120). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.
Mahimuang, S. (1996). A study on learning and teaching English problems in Rajabhat Elementary Demonstration Schools. Research report, Rajabhat Institute Suansunantha, Bangkok: Thailand.
Mattioli, G. (2004). On native language intrusions and making do with words: Linguistically homogeneous classrooms and native language use. English Teaching Forum, 42(4), 20-25.
McKay, S. L. (2000). Teaching English as an international language: Implications for Cultural materials in the classroom. TESOL Journal, 9(4), 7-11.
Medgyes, P. (1992). Native or non-native: who's worth more?. ELT Journal, 46(4), 340-349.
Medgyes, P. (1994). The non-native teacher. London: MacMillan.
Medgyes, P. (2001). When the teacher is a non-native speaker. Teaching pronunciation, 429-442.
Methitham, P. (2009). An Exploration of Culturally-based Assumptions Guiding ELT Practice in Thailand, a Non-colonized Nation (Unpublished Dissertation, Indiana University of Pennsylvania).
Mountford, A. (1986). Teaching and Learning English in Thailand: Some problems and Remedies. PASAA, 16(2), 1-9.
Moussu, L., & Llurda, E. (2008): Non-native English-speaking English language teachers: History and research. Language Teaching, 41(3), 315-418.
Numrich, C. (1996). On becoming a language teacher: insights from diary studies. TESOL Quarterly, 30(1), 131-153.
Ohtani, C. (2010). Problems in the assistant language teacher system and English activity at Japanese public elementary schools. Educational Perspectives, 43(1-2), 38-45.
O'Sullivan, K. & Tajaroensuk, S. (1997). Thailand: A handbook in intercultural communication. Sydney: NCELTR Macquarie University.
Philipson, R. (1996). The native speaker's burden. In. T. hedge & N. Whitney (Eds.), Power, pedagogy & practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Paikeday, T. (1985). The Native Speaker is Dead! Toronto, Canada: Paikeday.
Patil, Z.N. (2006). On the Nature and Role of English in Asia. Retrieved from https://www.linguistics-journal.com/2014/01/09/on-the-nature-and-role-of-english-in-asia/
Phothongsunan, S. & Suwanarak, K. (2008). Native and Non-Native Dichotomy: Distinctive stances of Thai Teachers of English. ABAC Journal, 28(2), 10-30.
Phungphol, Y. (2005). Learner-centered teaching approach: A paradigm shift in Thai education. ABAC Journal, 25(2), 5-16.
Prodromou, K. (2003). In search of the successful users of English: How a corpus of non-native speaker language could impact on EFL teaching. Modern English Teacher, 12, 5-14.
Rampton, M. B. H. (1990). Displacing the native speaker: Expertise, affiliation, and inheritance. ELT Journal, 44, 97-101.
Rampton, M. B. H. (1996). Displacing the "native speaker": Expertise, affiliation, and inheritance. In T. Hedge & N. Whitney (Eds.), Power, pedagogy & practice (pp.9-22). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Roh, S. (2006). A research on methods for English native-speakers' teaching in Korean EFL classes. English Language &Literature Teaching, 12(3), 51-78.
Saengboon, S. (2006). CLT revisited. NIDA Language and Communication Journal, 11(11), 136-148.
Todd, R. W. (2006). The Myth of the Native Speaker as a Model of English Proficiency. rEFLections, 8, 1-7.
Wang, C. (2009). English Instruction in Taiwan Students’ Perceptions of Foreign and Taiwanese EFL Teachers (Unpublished master’s thesis, National Pingtung Institute of Commerce).
Wang, L.-Y. (2012). Moving towards the transition: Non-native EFL teachers’ perception of native-speaker norms and responses to varieties of English in the era of global spread of English. Asian EFL Journal, 14(2), 46-78.
Watson Todd, R. & Pojanapunya, P. (2009). Implicit attitudes towards native and non-native speaker teachers. System, 37, 23-33.
Weawong, N., & Singhasiri, W. (2009). Native English Speaking Teachers’ Beliefs about Difficulties in Teaching English to Thai Learners. REFLections, 12, 37-52.
Widdowson, H. G. (2003). Defining issues in English language teaching. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Zhang, Y., & Elder, C. (2011). Judgments of oral proficiency by non-native and native English speaking teacher raters: Competing or complementary constructs?. Language Testing, 28(1), 31-50.
Ahn, S., Park, M., & Ono, S. (1998). A comparative study of the EPIK program and the JET program. English Teaching, 53(3), 241-267.
Ajarn.com. (2018). Teaching jobs in Thailand. Retrieved from https://www.ajarn.com/recruitment/jobs
Baker, W. (2012). English as a lingua franca in Thailand: characterisations and implications. Englishes in Practice, 1, 18-27.
Bloomfield, L. (1933). Language. New York: H. Holt and company.
Bolton, K. (2003). Chinese Englishes: A Sociolinguistic History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Borg, S. (2003). Teacher cognition in language teaching: A review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and do. Language teaching, 38, 81-109.
Braine, G. (2010). Nonnative Speaker English Teachers: Research, Pedagogy, and Professional Growth. New York: Routledge.
Buripakdi, A. (2008). Thai English as Discourse of Exclusion and Resistance: Perspectives of Thai Professional Writers on the Notion of Thai English (Unpublished PhD Dissertation, Indiana University of Pensylvania).
Canagarajah, A. S. (1999). Resisting linguistic imperialism in English teaching. Oxford, U.K: Oxford University Press.
Canagarajah, A. S. (2005). Reclaiming the Local in Language Policy and Practice. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Carless, R. (2006). Good practices in team teaching in Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. System, 34, 341-51.
Cheung, Y. L., & Braine, G. (2007). The attitudes of university students towards non-native speakers English teachers in Hong Kong. RELC Journal, 28, 257-277.
Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Cook, V. (1999). Going beyond the native speaker in language teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 33(2), 185-209.
Coppieters, R. (1987). Competence difference between native and near-native speakers. Language, 63, 544-573.
Crystal, D. (1985). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Crystal, D. (2003). The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Davies, A. (2003). The Native Speaker: Myth and Reality. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Edge, J. (1988). Natives, Speakers, and Models. JALT Journal, 9(2), 153-157.
ESL Employment. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.eslemployment.com.
Foley J. A. (2005). English in Thailand, RELC Journal, 36, 223-234.
Graddol, D. (2006). English next: Why global English may mean the end of ‘English as a Foreign Language’. British Council.
Hodal, K. (2012). Thai schools urged to boost speaking. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/feb/14/thailand-speak-english-campaign.
Holliday, A. (2008). Standards of English and politics of inclusion. Language Teaching, 41(1), 119-130.
Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and Identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jindapitak, N. (2014). English pronunciation teacher preference: Thai university English learners' views. Proceedings of INTED2014 Conference, 4982-4991.
Jindapitak, N., & Teo, A. (2013). Accent priority in a Thai university context: A common sense revisited. English Language Teaching, 6(9), 193-204.
Kirkpatrick, A. (2010). English as a lingua franca in ASEAN. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Lin, X. (2005). Quality characteristics of excellent Chinese college English teachers [Electronic version]. Sino-US English Teaching, 2(5), 25-27.
Lortie, D. C. (1975). Schoolteacher: A sociological study. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Kachru, B. B. (Ed.). (1992). The other tongue: English across cultures (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
Kirkpatrick, A. (2006). Which model of English: Native-speaker, nativised, or lingua franca? In R. Rubdy & M. Saraceni (Eds.), English in the world: Global rules, global roles (pp. 71-83). London, England: Continuum.
Komin, S. (1991). Psychology of the Thai people: Values and behavioral patterns. Bangkok: National Institute of Development Administration.
Kramsch, C. (1995). The privilege of the non-native speaker. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Long Beach, CA.
Kramsch, C. (1997). The privilege of the nonnative speaker. PMLA, 112(3), 359‐369.
Ma, L. P. E. (2009). Students perceptions of native teachers and local Enlgish teachers. In A. Mahboob & c. Lipovsky (Eds.), Studies in applied linguistics and language learning (pp. 325-348). Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Cambridge scholar.
Mahboob, A. (2003). Status of nonnative English-speaking teachers in the United States (Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Indiana University)
Mahboob, A., Uhrig, K., Newman, K. L., & Hartford, B. S. (2004). Children of lesser English: Status of nonnative English speakers as college-level English as a Second Language teachers in the United States. In L. Kamhi-Stein (Ed.), Learning and teaching from experience: Perspectives on nonnative Englishspeaking professionals (pp. 100-120). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.
Mahimuang, S. (1996). A study on learning and teaching English problems in Rajabhat Elementary Demonstration Schools. Research report, Rajabhat Institute Suansunantha, Bangkok: Thailand.
Mattioli, G. (2004). On native language intrusions and making do with words: Linguistically homogeneous classrooms and native language use. English Teaching Forum, 42(4), 20-25.
McKay, S. L. (2000). Teaching English as an international language: Implications for Cultural materials in the classroom. TESOL Journal, 9(4), 7-11.
Medgyes, P. (1992). Native or non-native: who's worth more?. ELT Journal, 46(4), 340-349.
Medgyes, P. (1994). The non-native teacher. London: MacMillan.
Medgyes, P. (2001). When the teacher is a non-native speaker. Teaching pronunciation, 429-442.
Methitham, P. (2009). An Exploration of Culturally-based Assumptions Guiding ELT Practice in Thailand, a Non-colonized Nation (Unpublished Dissertation, Indiana University of Pennsylvania).
Mountford, A. (1986). Teaching and Learning English in Thailand: Some problems and Remedies. PASAA, 16(2), 1-9.
Moussu, L., & Llurda, E. (2008): Non-native English-speaking English language teachers: History and research. Language Teaching, 41(3), 315-418.
Numrich, C. (1996). On becoming a language teacher: insights from diary studies. TESOL Quarterly, 30(1), 131-153.
Ohtani, C. (2010). Problems in the assistant language teacher system and English activity at Japanese public elementary schools. Educational Perspectives, 43(1-2), 38-45.
O'Sullivan, K. & Tajaroensuk, S. (1997). Thailand: A handbook in intercultural communication. Sydney: NCELTR Macquarie University.
Philipson, R. (1996). The native speaker's burden. In. T. hedge & N. Whitney (Eds.), Power, pedagogy & practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Paikeday, T. (1985). The Native Speaker is Dead! Toronto, Canada: Paikeday.
Patil, Z.N. (2006). On the Nature and Role of English in Asia. Retrieved from https://www.linguistics-journal.com/2014/01/09/on-the-nature-and-role-of-english-in-asia/
Phothongsunan, S. & Suwanarak, K. (2008). Native and Non-Native Dichotomy: Distinctive stances of Thai Teachers of English. ABAC Journal, 28(2), 10-30.
Phungphol, Y. (2005). Learner-centered teaching approach: A paradigm shift in Thai education. ABAC Journal, 25(2), 5-16.
Prodromou, K. (2003). In search of the successful users of English: How a corpus of non-native speaker language could impact on EFL teaching. Modern English Teacher, 12, 5-14.
Rampton, M. B. H. (1990). Displacing the native speaker: Expertise, affiliation, and inheritance. ELT Journal, 44, 97-101.
Rampton, M. B. H. (1996). Displacing the "native speaker": Expertise, affiliation, and inheritance. In T. Hedge & N. Whitney (Eds.), Power, pedagogy & practice (pp.9-22). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Roh, S. (2006). A research on methods for English native-speakers' teaching in Korean EFL classes. English Language &Literature Teaching, 12(3), 51-78.
Saengboon, S. (2006). CLT revisited. NIDA Language and Communication Journal, 11(11), 136-148.
Todd, R. W. (2006). The Myth of the Native Speaker as a Model of English Proficiency. rEFLections, 8, 1-7.
Wang, C. (2009). English Instruction in Taiwan Students’ Perceptions of Foreign and Taiwanese EFL Teachers (Unpublished master’s thesis, National Pingtung Institute of Commerce).
Wang, L.-Y. (2012). Moving towards the transition: Non-native EFL teachers’ perception of native-speaker norms and responses to varieties of English in the era of global spread of English. Asian EFL Journal, 14(2), 46-78.
Watson Todd, R. & Pojanapunya, P. (2009). Implicit attitudes towards native and non-native speaker teachers. System, 37, 23-33.
Weawong, N., & Singhasiri, W. (2009). Native English Speaking Teachers’ Beliefs about Difficulties in Teaching English to Thai Learners. REFLections, 12, 37-52.
Widdowson, H. G. (2003). Defining issues in English language teaching. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Zhang, Y., & Elder, C. (2011). Judgments of oral proficiency by non-native and native English speaking teacher raters: Competing or complementary constructs?. Language Testing, 28(1), 31-50.