ERIC Number: EJ1180679
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Mar
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0119-5646
EISSN: N/A
Reexamining the NS and NNS Dichotomy in Taiwanese Higher EFL Education
Kung, Fan-Wei
Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, v24 n1 p27-34 Mar 2015
The globalization trend has raised various issues in the field of English language teaching (ELT) for both language teachers and learners (Norton, "TESOL Quarterly" 31(3):409-429, 1997). Since the reality of English as an international language (EIL) has started to emerge, the traditional native speaker (NS) and non-native speaker (NNS) dichotomy has been called to be reexamined (Mckay, "International Journal of Applied Linguistics" 13(1):1-22, 2003). While it is believed that parents generally prefer NS teachers when it comes to language teaching since they provide the target model for language learning (Harmer, "The practice of English language teaching," Longman, London 1991; Kachru, "The other tongue: English across cultures," University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1992; Oladejo, "Bilingual Research Journal" 30(1):147-170, 2006), high-level language learners have not been explored so far in Taiwanese tertiary English as a foreign language (EFL) education. Hence, the aim of this study was to reexamine the preference, perceptions, and attitudes toward NS and NNS teachers of Taiwanese advanced EFL learners. The data were collected qualitatively from 30 English majors at three top-rated universities in Taiwan including two semistructured interviews and an open-ended questionnaire for each participant. The results revealed that no particular preference was shown, but one important factor was found to make NS and NNS teachers different. Students were not only discovered to be aware of the pros and cons of both NS and NNS teachers' teaching at tertiary level, but in the end, value NNS teachers more for the awareness of EIL that they have developed over the years. This article argues that instead of treasuring the NS model fervently, it is crucial for language learners to develop thorough and adaptive comprehension competence. This article concludes with several pedagogical implications for ELT professionals.
Descriptors: Native Speakers, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Foreign Countries, Language Variation, Language Teachers, Parent Attitudes, Teacher Characteristics, Preferences, Advanced Students, Qualitative Research, Semi Structured Interviews, Majors (Students), Questionnaires, Student Attitudes, Models, Teaching Methods, Communicative Competence (Languages), College Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Taiwan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A