The document summarizes a study on Taiwanese university students' perceptions of native English-speaking teachers. It finds that students have mixed views, expecting teachers to have good attitudes, understandable accents, and better interaction. However, native teachers found students to be passive and dependent. To improve teaching and learning, the expectation gap between teachers and students needs to be bridged, such as through open discussion. Both teachers and students should rethink their roles as language education evolves in an increasingly globalized world.

1. Presenter: Wallis Tey
Instructor: Dr. Pi-Ying Teresa Hsu
Date: 2015 / 5 / 25
Haunting Native Speakerism? Students’
Perceptions toward Native Speaking
English Teachers in Taiwan

2. Wu, K. H., & Ke, C. (2009). Haunting
native speakerism? Students’
perceptions toward native speaking
English teachers in Taiwan. Journal of
English Language Teaching, 2(3), 44-52.
1

3. Introduction
Literature Review
Research Questions
Methodology
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Reflection
2

4. NESTs Native-speaking English teachers
NNESTs Non-native English speaking teachers
MOE Ministry of Education
Definition of Terms
3

5. Background
Purpose of study
Introduction
4

6. Background
People are becoming more interconnected
in the wake of the fast-growing trend of
globalization through cultural and
technological exchange.
English has become the primary medium of
international communication
5

7. To explore factors that affect the
teaching and learning efficiency of
teachers and students, using
questionnaires and interviews.
Purpose of study
6

8. Chinese students aspired to the British and
American English standard due to a lack of
opportunity and access to updated information
on “World English” , which has in turn led to a
blind adoration of native-speaker as the norm.
(Jin, 2005)
Literature Review
7

9. Examines the influence between native and non-
native teachers’ accents on students’
performance; the result indicates that native
teachers tend to have more confidence in their
use of English.
(Bulter, 2007)
8
Literature Review

10. If English is a necessity, steps have also been
taken to ensure that teachers are adequately
trained in language teaching methodology
appropriate to a range of learner ages and stages,
that teachers’ own language skills are
significantly enhanced, that classroom realities
meet curricular rhetoric, and that students have
sufficient exposure to English in instructional
context (p.610).
(Nunan, 2003)
9
Literature Review

11. Teacher-related problems derive largely from
NNEST’s deficiency in spoken English and lack
of socio-linguistic and cultural sophistication.
( Li, 1998;Nunan, 2003)
Traditional EFL instruction in Taiwan focuses on
teacher-centered, grammar-translation, and
exam-oriented approaches.
(Yang, 1978;Wang, 1994)
10
Literature Review

12. Attributes students; low proficiency in English to
inappropriate teaching methods.
( Ko, 1985 )
Grammar-translation and exam-oriented
assessment make it harder for ESL/EFL students
to use English as a communicative medium.
( Scovel, 1983 )
11
Literature Review

13. 1. What are the university students’
expectation and perception toward native
teachers in general?
2. What do the teachers and students expect
of each in their classroom interaction?
Research Question
12

14. Participants
Instruments
Methodology
13

15. METHODOLOGY
14
Methodology
Participants
107 university
students (4 groups)
3 native-speaking
teachers

16. METHODOLOGY
15
Methodology
Instruments : Questionnaire and interview
Questionnaire data was analyzed using SPSS to
examine correlations among the dimensions and
different student groups.
Interview data was compared with the survey
result to investigate and explain the result, as well
as provide other insights into the phenomenon in
question.

17. METHODOLOGY
16
Methodology
1. This questionnaire was conducted in June.
2. Most of the seniors had left university.
3. Only 107 valid questionnaires.
107

18. METHODOLOGY
17
Methodology
19 students were interviewed.
Time: 10 mins per person.
Purpose: Focus on students’ ideas about their
expectations vis-à-vis accent, teaching method
and grammar.
107

19. 18
Student interviews point out a problem in the design of the questionnaire. For
some of them, standard English is also the best understandable English.
A senior : The accents in real world are of all kinds, so accent is not
important. We should get used to different accents. It
doesn’t matter what the NS teacher’s accent is.
A junior : The NS teacher should not have accents. Our level is
already pretty low, and how can we understand a teacher
with accents?
Another junior : the NS teacher’s nationality is not important, but
the accent is. Their English should be easy to
understand, like Andy’s (one of the NS teachers),
who speaks slowly and uses easy vocabulary.
Teacher G speaks too fast, and many sounds are stuck together. He has some
accents, and I have problem understanding his words. I think understandability
is the most important, easy to comprehend.
Methodology

20. METHODOLOGY
19
Methodology
3 NS teachers were interviewed.
Time: Approximately one hour.
Purpose: To understand the teachers’ self-
evaluation and expectation.

21. 20
Methodology
The NS teachers are not satisfied that the students are “very passive, lack of
opinions and feedback” (Tom), “dependent and serious” (Gary), “immature and
disrespectful” (Andy).
Tom: When I ask their opinions and comments in the class, only few of them
responded. I wonder if they didn’t understand what I said or they
didn’t prepare the assigned homework.
Gary: The students need to be more independent. They lack of critical thinking.
When I ask them to express their point-of-views, they keep quiet all the
time and wait for my answer.
Andy: The students come to class late, and have their food or snack in the
class. I ask them to discuss in pairs or groups, some of them just chat in
their native language and some just sit there.

22. 21
Appendix

23. 22
Appendix

24. Results
Figure 1. Students’ strong expectation on NS teachers’ attitude
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25. Results
Figure 2. Students’ expectation 24

26. Results
Figure 3. Students’ attitudes toward accent
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30
25

27. Discussion
For most students, foreign teachers should
possess a good sense of humor, standard or
understandable accent and pronunciation, and
better interaction between them and foreign
teachers.
For NS teacher to teach better and local students
to learn more , the expectation gap between NS
teachers and local students needs to be bridged.
26

28. Discussion
NS teachers and local teachers are suggested to
rethink their roles and adjust self-expectation as the
world changes rapidly.
The most direct way to close the conceptual gap
between the teacher and students is to take time to
discuss it.
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29. Conclusion
The results shows that students’ perception toward
NS teachers is mixed.
Admittedly, NS teachers are recognized as assets to
English learning, but they are also advised to adjust
to the changing teaching/learning environment.
Language learning and teaching are closely related
for both teachers and students.
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30. Conclusion
Possessing this attitude will facilitate both foreign
teachers and local students to increase the learning
and teaching efficiency.
Thus, how to improve teachers’ personal weakness
and take advantage of their own strengths is one of
the crucial issues for any teachers of different
culture
29

31. Reflection
English is an international language, it is without
borders.
A language has it’s own culture and traditions. If
you want to increase your English, my opinions are
you need to blend into the western culture, study
more, read more books, enrich your vocabulary, and
the most important thing is to be confidence.
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