School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Native-Speakerness vs Pedagogical Expertise: Which do EFL Students Value More Highly? Dr Ian WalkinshawSchool of Languages and LinguisticsGriffith University
Dr Duong Thi Hoang OanhVietnam National University
Contents
The differences between native speakers and non-native speakers
The schism in ELT Desirable qualities in language teachers Collecting data Findings and what they mean Topics for discussion
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
How are native- and non-native speakers different?
According to some theorists:
‘Non-native speakers can never achieve a native-speaker’s competence [because they] can never be as creative and original as those whom they have learned to copy.’ (Medgyes, 1992).
‘[S]ome L2 users can pass for native-speakers [but] these passers form an extremely small percentage of L2 users.’ (Cook, 1999).
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
How are native- and non-native speakers different?
But TESOL and applied linguistics is full of advanced non-native speakers:
Suresh Canagarajah, Vijay Bhatia, Braj Kachru, Zoltan Dornyei, Jan Blommaert, Duong Thi Hoang Oanh, Aya Matsuda, Jef Verschueren, Peter Medgyes, Srikant Sarangi, Jun Liu, Ulla Niemela Connor, Pham Hoa Hiep, Keiko Samimy, Lia Kamhi-Stein, Anna Wierzbicka, Enric Llurda...
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
How are native- and non-native speakers different?
Another way of conceptualising native-speakerness:
Davies’ (2003) required elements for native-speakerness: Childhood language acquisition Understand/produce idiomatic forms of language Understand how standard forms differ from
variations Produce fluent, spontaneous speech
Which elements could apply to a non-native speaker?
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School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
The native/non-native schism in ELT
I have heard influential employers [in the ELT industry] in Britain say that while they would abolish the discriminatory differentiation between ‘native speakers’ and ‘non-native speakers’ tomorrow, they can’t because their ‘customers demand it’ (Holliday 2008, p. 121).
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
The native/non-native schism in ELT
Native-speakerness =‘ownership’
Expertise
Prestige
ResearchMaterials
Training
Funding
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Research questions
1. How much importance do Vietnamese EFL students place on native-speakerness compared with other professional / personal characteristics?
2. What are the perceived advantages / disadvantages of learning from a native English-speaking teacher (NEST) or non-native English speaking teacher (non-NEST)?
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Desirable qualities in an EFL teacher (Brown 2001)
Professional qualities Experience of teaching ELT qualifications
Personal qualities Friendly personality Enthusiasm for teaching
Pedagogical qualities Familiarity with learners’ culture
Linguistic qualities Advanced L2 competence
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Data collection: Survey I
ELT qualifications?Friendly personality?Enthusiastic?Interesting classes?Understands students’ culture?Understands/speaks English fluently?
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Data collection: Survey II
Participants
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
•50 Vietnamese learners of English•Upper intermediate proficiency•38 females, 12 males•Aged 20-24•Hue University and Nha Trang University
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Quality I: Teaching experience
Teaching experience
56.3
31.3
12.5
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Selected 1-2 Selected 3 Selected 4-5
Student preference
Per
cen
tag
e
Mean: 2.16 (Std Dev 1.19)
Teaching experiencevalued more than
linguistic background
Experience
Students mentioned two types of experience:
1. Experience of teaching English as a foreign language- years of teaching- variety of skills taught / variety of educational contexts
2. Experience of language learning- conscious understanding of lexical/syntactic rules
- knowledge of language learning strategies- understand L2 learners’ difficulties
‘Non-native teachers has been a foreign language learner like us now. They have good experience in studying English which is good for us to learn from them’.
Qualifications
61.2
20.4 18.4
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Selected 1-2 Selected 3 Selected 4-5
Student preference
Per
cen
tag
e
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Quality II: Appropriate qualifications
Mean: 2.23 (Std Dev 1.45)
Qualificationsvalued more than
linguistic background
Friendly personality
52.1
18.7
29.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Selected 1-2 Selected 3 Selected 4-5
Student preference
Per
cen
tag
e
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Quality III: Friendly personality
Mean: 2.62 (Std Dev 1.54)
Friendly personalityvalued more than
linguistic background
Enthusiasm for teaching
61.2
24.5
14.3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Selected 1-2 Selected 3 Selected 4-5
Student preference
Per
cen
tag
e
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Quality IV: Enthusiasm for teaching
Mean: 2.26 (Std Dev 1.22)
Enthusiasmvalued more than
linguistic background
Enthusiasm
Borg (2006) says:
‘Language teachers [require] particular traits…: creative, sense of humour, flexible, ‘actor’ type, motivating, enthusiastic, communicate freely and radiate positive feeling…these were almost essential for language teachers compared to perhaps desirable for other teachers’.
Enthusiasm = motivation = risk-taking = processing = fluency
Interesting classes
16 12
72
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Selected 1-2 Selected 3 Selected 4-5
Student preference
Per
cen
tag
e
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Quality V: Interesting, informative classes
Mean: 1.98 (Std Dev 1.33)
Interesting andinformative classesvalued more than
linguistic background
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Interesting, informative classes
Interesting classroom practices
Increased languageintake (Van Patten 1990)
‘Pushed output’ - more newly-learned complex language, less previously internalised language (Batstone 2002)
Automatic processing (McLaughlin 1990)
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Interest: NESTs & non-NESTs
NESTs:Ss can learn about teacher’s culture (n=19)Interesting teaching methods (n=10)
Non-NESTs:Good teacher (n=7)Easy to understand explanations (n=18)Easy to communicate with teacher (n=10)
(20 Ss found NESTs difficult to under-stand)
(But no Ss found non-NESTs boring)
Understanding culture
16.7 16.7
66.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Selected 1-2 Selected 3 Selected 4-5
Student preference
Per
cen
tag
e
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Quality VI: Understanding students’ culture
Mean: 2.16 (Std Dev 1.28)
UnderstandingStudents’ culture
more important thanlinguistic background
Cultural familiarity – Vietnamese learners of English
21 descriptive comments about this:
‘Due to difference between cultures…sometimes learning with native speaker teachers makes me stress’.
‘Different cultures may sometimes cause misunderstandings between the teacher and students. For example, my American teacher surprised so much when she saw same sexual student in my class holding [hands] together’.
‘They have some culture shock when teaching us [because they think] students in Vietnam is not as active as student in their country’.
Cultural familiarity – Vietnamese learners of English
How much power does the teacher have?
How does she expect me to
behave?
How do I request something?
Refuse? Disagree?
When am I allowed to talk? How long can I
talk for?
What if she thinks I’m being impolite?Is she being
impolite to me?
What will she do if I make a
mistake?What should I
do if she makes a mistake?
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Cultural familiarity – Vietnamese learners of English
10 descriptive comments about cultural familiarity as an advantage of non-NESTs:
‘We are the same culture. So, it is easy to behave with them’.
‘A non-native speaker teacher can communicate with me easily, they know our culture and habit’.
‘Non-native speaker teacher understand more about their students than native teacher’.
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Quality VII: Advanced English competence
Mean: 2.9 (Std Dev 1.52)
?
Advanced English competence
28
3438
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Selected 1-2 Selected 3 Selected 4-5
Student preference
Per
cen
tag
e
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Advanced competence vs native-speakerness
What is the issue?
Lexical and grammatical competence?
General fluency?
Pronunciation?
NO – only 2 mentions
NO – only 5 mentions
YES – 30 mentions
Grammar explanations anadvantage of non-NESTs (n=18)
Native pronunciationthe primary advantage
of NESTs (n=30)
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Previous studies of pronunciation I
L2 learners listened to recordings of NESTs’ and non-NESTs’ pronunciation. The learners were asked to guess whether the speakers were native or non-native. How often were the learners able to guess correctly?
a.100% of the time b. 90% of the timec. 60% of the time d. 45% of the time
(Kelch & Santana-Williamson, 2002)
Previous studies of pronunciation II
L2 learners listened to recordings of several native- and non-native speakers. They were asked which they found easier to understand, and then given a comprehension test.
Which did the learners say they understood most easily?
Native speakers Non-native speakers Both equally
Which did they actually understand according to the comprehension test?
Native speakers Non-native speakers Both equally
(Kim, 2007)
Summary of findings
Vietnamese learners of English valued Experience – of teaching and of second
language learning Qualifications Friendliness Enthusiasm for teaching – motivation + risk-
taking Interesting and informative classes – ‘pushed
output’ Familiarity with their culture Native-speaker pronunciation Non-NEST ability to explain grammar & lexis
Questions for discussion
1.Can you think of any other qualities that are desirable in an English language teacher?
2.What other advantages do you think non-NESTs might have as language teachers?
3. Do you think native- and non-native English speaking teachers might complement each other? If so, how?