STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS THE QUALITIES OF NON
NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER TEACHERS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE
TEACHING FIELD
Meike Dwi Setiawati Kuncoro
Abstract
Besides Native English Speaker Teachers (NESTs), Non-Native English Speaker Teachers (NNESTs) are also believed to have the qualities needed for a successful teaching. In this study, quantitative data from 100 students of English Teacher Education Program, Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga were collected to investigate students‟ perceptions towards the qualities of NNESTs in English Language Teaching (ELT) field. Fifty students in their third year of university and another 50 from the fourth year were chosen as they were believed to be more aware of the qualities of NNESTs with the length of time they have spent being taught by NNESTs in that faculty. The questionnaires used are in form of close-ended questionnaires. There are 16 items and categorized into six qualities of NNESTs according to Medyges (1992). The results demonstrate how most of the students perceived NNESTs positively because of their awareness of all the six qualities. The students especially have positive perceptions towards NNESTs for their insights that they get from their own experience as former English learners, their wide knowledge of internal mechanism of the language, and their ability to make use of Indonesian (L1) to convey meaning in the classroom.
Key Words: NESTs, NNE
STs, students‟ perceptions, qualities, ELTIntroduction
There has been a false belief stating that a foreign language can only be taught by the
native speaker of the particular language. For instance, in English Language Teaching (ELT)
field, the native English speakers are believed to have the advantage of using idiomatic
expression and speaking their language fluently with the standard pronunciation. That is why,
the Native English Speaker Teachers (NESTs) are considered as the best role model of English.
Often times, the “native speaker fallacy” causes a differentiation between NESTs and
NNESTs, which leads to unequal treatments between them. According to Maum (2002), this
belief only secures NESTs‟ position in the ELT profession and leads to discrimination in
employment practices. For instance, Butler (2007) states that the government in East Asia has
the same false belief which makes them come to a conclusion that the accents and
pronunciation of local teachers have a negative impact on the students. This belief affects their
policy in only recruiting native speakers of English in order to teach the correct language
(Lasagabaster & Sierra, 2002). This kind of hiring practice is especially not fair when the
native English speakers without teaching qualification are more likely to be hired compared to
Non-Native English speakers with high qualification.
It should be understood that being native speaker in one‟s own language does not mean
that one knows how to teach the language as native language is usually acquired naturally
(Maum, 2002). Language teaching requires a great deal of training and practice; it is not an
easy job to describe and teach one‟s native language (Lasagabaster and Sierra, 2002). Native
English speakers are most likely believed as ideal English teachers because of their high
language proficiency in the language. However, high language proficiency is not the only
factor that contributes to a successful teaching. There are other factors which are equally
important, such as motivation and the professional training. Thus, it requires more than just
being a Native Speaker to be an ideal English teacher (Kao, 2007).
Knowing that teaching English is not all about nativeness, the different language
background between Native Speaker and Native Speaker should not be a barrier.
Non-Native English Speakers should have the equal chance to be successful English teachers. After
all, plenty of the knowledge that the NESTs bring to their classroom in regards to their
language proficiency can actually be learnt by NNESTs through teacher training (Maum,
including their teaching qualifications, experience, and professional skills (Medyges, 2001).
NNESTs must have had applied a language-learning strategies to master English, and therefore
it makes them have another advantage over NESTs to share those learning strategies (Medyges,
1996).
Looking at the strengths and advantages that NNESTs have in English Language
Teaching field, this research is aimed to investigate the qualities of NNESTs perceived by
students, as students are the ones who are directly taught by the teachers in class. It would then
answer a question on “What are the students‟ perceptions towards the qualities of NNESTs?”
Furthermore, as the needs of English teachers arise, this paper will have a significant
contribution in ELT field to raise the faculty and institution management, head masters, deans ,
and many other policy makers‟ awareness not to select their English teachers based on the
teachers‟ nativeness, but instead on the qualities that they have.
Literature Review
Native and Non-Native English Speaking Teachers
The terms Native English Speaker Teachers (NESTs) and Non-Native English Speaker
Teachers (NNESTs) have drawn much interest in ELT Field. Although there is an ongoing
debate in defining the terms, these terms have already been widely accepted by most people in
the world and commonly used in the field of ELT because of its practicality. This research
adopts the definition of NESTs and NNESTs provided by Medyges (2001) who mentions that
NESTs use English as their mother tongue, while NNESTs speak English as a second
language. Maum (2002) also supports the definition by asserting that native speakers of
English are those whose main or first language (L1) is English and who have learned it first as
a child. The term NESTs itself is in line with that definition of native speakers being teachers
language (L2) as English is not their first language. The term of NNESTs is also related to this
description.
The NNESTs in this research involve Indonesian English Teachers. Supporters of the
term NNESTs believe that it is significant to discover the qualities of NNESTs because their
differences with the NESTs are, in fact, their strengths.
Unique Features of NNESTs in ELT Field
In spite of the beliefs that NNESTs have deficient language competence, there are also
unique features of Non-NESTs that NESTs do not necessarily have. These features are what
are believed to be the competitive edge of Non-NESTs to stand an equal chance with NESTs in
English Language Teaching field. Medyges (1992) then enumerates the six points of
Non-NESTs‟ unique features:
1. Non-NESTs are perceived to be good learner models of successful English learners Any English teachers can set two kinds of models, which are language model and
learner model. In this case, it is clear that NESTs can provide a better language model than
Non-NESTs as they are the native speakers of the language. Furthermore, they are also
seen as imitable models for learning English by students (Lagabaster and Sierra, 2005).
However, according to Medyges (1992), a learner model can only be acted out
by Non-NESTs as they learned English after they had acquired their first language. If all
English teachers are NESTs, the learners will think that to be able to master the language,
they have to be born as native English speakers. That is why the Non-NESTs presence is
significant. This idea is also supported by Kelch and Santatn-Williamson‟s (2002) study
which showed that the students viewed NNESTs as a source of motivation for them to be
successful English learners as they have been also been learners of English like them. In
believed to contribute effectively to English Language Teaching (ELT) field for having
their own experiences as both English language learners and teachers.
2. Non-NESTs can teach language-learning strategies more effectively
Learning strategies are one of many factors that have a big contribution in picking
up a language effectively. According to Wenden and Rubin (1987), learning strategies are
specific actions that can facilitate the learners to be proficient in the particular language.
This facilitation does not only ease the process of learning, but also make the process goes
faster and more enjoyable, and more transferrable to any situations (Oxford, 1990c).
Everyone has their own way of learning; the learning strategies which are effective to be
utilized by one person might not be effective for another.
However, Medyges (1992) asserts that Non-NESTs as successful second language
learners should be aware of learning strategies which are effective or not for them to utilize.
Therefore, they should know how to share that learning strategies to the students.
Lagabaster and Sierra (2005) also share the same belief as Medyges‟ (1992). They state that
NNESTs were seen by students to be very good at sharing effective learning strategies. In
addition to that, some students in Mahboob‟s (2004) study also mentioned about the
quality of NNESTs which contributes to their preference – NNESTs are believed to hold
the ability to teach in the most effective and efficient way as they have experienced being a
learner too. In conclusion, they can be a better informant than their NEST colleagues in
assisting their learners to effective learning strategies.
3. Non-NESTs can provide more information about the English Language
In their teaching behavior, Non-NESTs are proven to be more insightful than the
have gone through. As NESTs acquire their language unconsciously, they might not
understand the internal mechanism of the language use (Reves and Medyges, 1994).
According to Arva and Medgyes (2000) study, “Nonnative teachers had a far superior meta
cognitive knowledge of English grammar.” Their idea has also supported Medyges‟ (1992)
idea that Non-NESTs can give the learners more relevant information about the language.
Non-NESTs have richer knowledge of the language, which they got during their learning
process. Hence, they can tell the learners of what is easy and difficult in the learning
process as well as the way to anticipate it.
4. Non-NESTs are better at anticipating and preventing language difficulties
For the Non-NESTs who have the same background as the students, who learn
English as a second language, Non-NESTs are more intrinsically aware of language
difficulties in learning the language. It will require them little time and energy to spot the
difficulties that can emerge from learning the language. According to Medyges (1992),
most Non-NESTs and those who have been in the job for a long time will already have the
ability to predict what might go wrong, with fair accuracy, before the students ask them
questions. The students in Cheung and Braine‟s (2007) study also believed that Non
-NESTs understood their difficulty in learning the language.
NESTs can actually be a good anticipator for language difficulties as well.
However, there is a condition required for them to be one. NESTs who have been staying in
one place for a long time are the ones who are more likely to be aware of the language
problems of their students than those who move from place to place. Unfortunately,
however good and well-informed NESTs can be in linguistic problems that students might
encounter, Non-NESTs, especially those who teach in a monolingual class has the more
knowledge to anticipate and prevent both the linguistic problems and the cross-cultural
5. Non-NESTs can be more empathetic to the learners’ needs and problems
As Non-NESTs are also learners, they will be more sensitive to what learners‟
needs and the problems they encounter compared to NESTs who probably only have vague
pictures of the students‟ aspiration, including their linguistic, cultural, and personal
background (Medyges, 1992). As supported by Yacoub (2011), Non-NESTs may
understand students‟ feelings, such as their frustration when learning certain materials,
anxiety of dealing with difficult materials, and their embarrassment in trying to use English
in speaking, and therefore adjust their teaching method according to what the students‟
needs.
Likewise, Medyges (1992) also added that to prepare for the students‟ national
examination, Non-NESTs might also take advantage from their familiarity of teaching and
learning context and the prevalent circumstances by utilizing a teaching method which they
think is suitable to learners based on their knowledge of the national curriculum and the
teaching materials available. In line with that, Cheung and Braine (2007) assert that
NNESTs are capable of adapting the materials to the needs and the learning styles of the
students . Their awareness of the students‟ needs and problems are what then make them
more preferable by the students as they seem to be more patient and understanding than the
NESTs who may not understand why students are struggling in learning the language
(Yacoub, 2011).
6. Non-NESTs benefit from their ability to use the learners’ mother tongue
The use of first language (L1) in a language teaching methodology has been a
debate throughout the 20th century. NESTs support the monolingual principle as they lack
of knowledge to use the learners‟ first language. As a result, sometimes the Non-NESTs
the benefits of using the learners‟ L1 were recognized and therefore its use was legitimized.
The learners‟ L1 gets the recognition as an effective vehicle of communication in second
language acquisition. Medyges (1992) also mentions that it has been proven to be a
powerful tool in many ways. For instance, when the learners ask abstract words that cannot
be explained with physical reference, it will be easier to translate the word to the learners‟
L1.
The idea of the use of L1 to promote language learning has also been
strengthened by some other researchers, such as Yacoub (2011) and Mullock (2010).
According to Yacoub (2011), L1 can help the teachers understand the questions that the
students ask in L1 when they do not know how to express the question in English.At last,
as supported by Mullock (2010), being able to use L1 becomes one of NNESTs‟ strengths
as it allows them to pinpoint the learners‟ problems and give a translation of abstract words.
From those unique features of NNESTs, it can be concluded that it requires more than just
being a native speaker to be a good language teachers. Non-NESTs are also preferred by
students for their unique features as explained above.
The Study
Context of the Study
The study was held in a tertiary level private university called Satya Wacana Christian
University. This private university is located in the small town of Salatiga, Central Java,
Indonesia. English is not generally used in this university, however, in English Teacher
Education Program, in which the study was conducted, English is used as the medium of
instruction. It is also actively used in class discussion and activities. The students in this
program, the students also have the opportunities to communicate directly with foreigners as the
there. The NESTs only teach several certain courses, though, such as speaking classes and
cross-cultural understanding, while the NNESTs, who are the Indonesian teachers teaching
English, teach all the courses available in the faculty.
Participants
The participants of the study involved 100 English Teacher Education Program students of
Satya Wacana Christian University, who were randomly chosen from two different class year
students – 50 students in their third and another in the fourth year. Random sampling was used
in this study because all students at the English Teacher Education Program must have the
experience of being taught by NNESTs as the NNESTs teaches almost all the courses there.
Furthermore, the third and fourth year students were chosen instead of the first and second year
students because they had been studying with NNESTs for a longer period of time, and
therefore believed to be more aware of NNESTs‟ qualities in teaching.
Instrument of Data Collection
The instrument of data collection used was a close-ended questionnaire which was adapted
from the same instrument used by Yacoub (2011). However, the questionnaire had been
modified again as Yacoub tried to probe students‟ attitude towards both NESTs and NNESTs,
while this study will only try to probe students‟ perceptions towards NNESTs.
Since the questionnaire is a close-ended one, there are several statements in it with Likert Scale
given for the subjects‟ responses on the statements. Each statement is given the options like the
following:
1 – Strongly Disagree 3 – Agree
The questionnaire consists of 16 items, which covers all the six unique features of NNESTs in
ELT Field by Medyges (1992). It is also presented to the students in English as the intended
participants are students who are currently in their third and fourth year studying in English
Teacher Education Program.
Data Collection Procedure
Before the intended participants were kindly asked to fill in a questionnaire, a piloting
process had been conducted first. This process was very important in order to make sure that all
items in the questionnaire were already clear and understandable, otherwise a threat that might
appear was that the participants would not give the valid data because of the confusion they had
while answering the questions. The participants were also chosen from either the students from
their third and fourth year in the English Teacher Education Program. To anticipate the same
students filling in the questionnaire twice, the researcher put „Student‟s Number‟ item in the
participants‟ demographic info, so that the researcher could notice if there were the same
students filling in the questionnaire. The researcher distributed 40 questionnaires for piloting
and got 37 in return. However, there were only 25 questionnaires used in this process, which
were chosen according to the reliability of the answers as some participants did not answer
some items in the questionnaire, some others had the same answers for all items, and the rest
did not fill in the demographic info.
During the piloting process, to find out if there were any confusing items in the
questionnaires, the researcher asked the participants to leave a comment on why those particular
items were confusing to them. It turned out that there were only a few items which were
confusing to some participants, such as the item which states “I believe that the NNESTs can
manipulate the language to explain some cultural things”, and also the use of some adjectives,
items, it was also found that there were some particular items which were not suitable with the
relevant theories and literature provided in this research. Therefore, some items were omitted
for they were irrelevant, some others were modified to avoid vagueness, and a few new ones
were made to fill up the information needed related to the relevant literature. Furthermore, as
the findings from the piloting process did not show significant differences between the number
of respondents who chose „neutral‟ and „agree‟ or „disagree‟ response, the researcher decided to
omit the „neutral‟ column in order to get a more specific and valid data.
Then, when the revised questionnaires were ready, the questionnaires were then
distributed to the intended participants. There were 120 questionnaires distributed in order to
avoid if some students neither returned the questionnaire nor answered the questionnaire
correctly, which would make the data invalid. Before the researcher asked the participants to fill
in the questionnaire, the researcher explained the nature of the questionnaire briefly and how
the participants were expected to answer all the items in the questionnaire. After that, the
participants were allowed some time to skim the questionnaire and ask questions if they
happened to have one related to the questionnaire items. When the participants were already
clear about what to do, they then started filling in the questionnaire. There were 112
questionnaires that the researcher got in return. From those questionnaires, 100 questionnaires
were picked according to the answers‟ reliability to get valid data to analyze.
Data analysis
Since the questionnaire used only has close-ended items, quantitative type of analysis
was used to analyze the data. Close-ended items have more fixed and clear answers, which
make it easier to evaluate and understand the results. The data that the researcher got from the
After the percentage of each question was discovered from the data tabulation, the
findings were then explained. The data obtained were not merely explained based on the
percentage of each number of the question, but also based on the six qualities of NNESTs by
Medyges (1992). Each quality consists of two to four items in the questionnaire. Therefore, the
analysis was more likely resulted in concluding the qualities of NNESTs which contributed to
students‟ preferences – “NNESTs are more preferred for …..”. The findings were also
compared to the similar studies which had been conducted by other researchers, whose studies
have also been written in literature review in this study.
Results
In this part, the results for all the items in the questionnaire are described based on six
categories of NNESTs qualities according to Medyges (1992). Those qualities are “Non
-NESTs are perceived to be good learner models of successful English learners”, “Non-NESTs
can teach language-learning strategies more effectively”, “Non-NESTs can provide more
information about the English language”, “Non-NESTs are good at anticipating and preventing
language difficulties”, “Non-NESTs can be empathetic to the learners‟ needs and problems”,
and “Non-NESTs benefit from their ability to use the learners‟ mother tongue”. Tables are used
to present the responses from the participants and a brief comment on the items is also
provided where necessary.
Non-NESTs are perceived to be good learner models of successful English learners
Three items are used to probe whether Non-NESTs are perceived to be good learner models of
successful English learners by the students related to their mastery of the language, experience
I believe that NNESTs...
Table 1. NNESTs are perceived to be good learner models of successful English learners
From the results above, it can be seen that the majority of the respondents show
agreement towards the statements given. In the first item, 92% of the respondents do believe
that NNESTs are good models of English as they have been able to master the language and be
teachers of the language; then 90% of the respondents also show agreement towards the
statement which says that “NNESTs have the most valuable asset for teaching English, which
is their experience in learning the language.”; and 89% of the respondents confirm that
NNESTs had worked hard to be an English teachers like now. By looking at the high
percentage of agreements in the finding, it can be seen that most of the students perceive
NNESTs to be good learner models of successful English learners, which can be seen from
how the NNESTs could end up as teachers of the language.
Non-NESTs can teach language-learning strategies more effectively
With regard to the language-learning strategies that can be taught by NNESTs, items number 4,
I believe that NNESTs...
Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree
Strongly Agree
4. are able to offer appropriate help in terms
of writing. 0% 13% 74% 13%
Table 2. NNESTs can teach language-learning strategies more effectively
According to the responses, high number of respondents agree that NNESTs can teach
effective language-learning strategies. 87% of the respondents agree that NNESTs are able to
provide appropriate help in terms of writing; then 88% of the respondents feel that NNESTs
can teach reading strategies well; 83% of the respondents also either agree or strongly agree
with the statement, “NNESTs know how to engage students in the lessons by using different
class activitites.”; and last, 74% of the respondents are certain that NNESTs teach the most
efficient way to help students learn English. The findings demonstrate that there is a belief
from the resondents that NNESTs can teach language-learning strategies effectively.
Non-NESTs can provide more information about the English language
Items number 8, 9, and 10 are more related to the internal mechanism of the English language
use. They are related both to English grammar and pronunciation. The responses still showed
I believe that NNESTs...
Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree
Strongly Agree
8. explain English grammar items in details.
0% 19% 49% 32%
9. put more emphasis on grammar rules. 1% 22% 42% 35%
10.
are more aware of how English words are
pronounced. 1% 22% 61% 16%
Table 3. NNESTs can provide more information about the English language
In the item 8, 81% of the respondents either agree or strongly agree to the statement which
says “NNESTs explain English grammar items in details.”; Item 9 - 77% of the respondents are
also certain that the NNESTs usually emphasize more on grammar rules rather than other
aspects of the language; and in the item 10, the same percentage, which is 77% of the
respondents, indicate that they agree or strongly agree to the statement that NNESTs are more
aware of how English words are pronounced Based on the findings for those three items, it can
be concluded that most of the respondents are aware of NNESTs‟ qualities in understanding the
internal mechanism of the language use, especially related to grammar since as items number 8
and 9 have the third and second highest percentage of „strongly agree‟ response amongst all
items in the questionnaire.
Non-NESTs are good at anticipating and preventing language difficulties
The two next items are made to investigate whether NNESTs are really good at anticipating
and preventing language difficulties. The results show that NNESTs are good at anticipating
I believe that NNESTs...
Table 4. NNESTs are good at anticipating and preventing language difficulties
In item 11, a high percentage of the respondents (90%) show agreement towards the statement
that explicitly mentions that NNESTs understand students‟ language problems and difficulties
in learning English; while lower percentage (73%) of the respondents confirm that NNESTs
always try to correct students‟ error in item 12, which show how NNESTs always try to
anticipate students in making the same mistakes over and over again while they are learning the
language.
Non-NESTs can be empathetic to the learners’ needs and problems
Another thing about the qualities of NNESTs that the questionnaires want to reveal is about
how NNESTs can be empathetic to the learners‟ needs and problems. This quality is especially
provided in the items number 13 and 14.
I believe that NNESTs...
Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree
Strongly Agree
13. always give sufficient answer to the
students‟ questions. 0% 22% 68% 10%
14.
have more empathy towards students‟
struggle as language learners. 4% 21% 45% 30%
In item 13, the learners‟ needs are shown in form of students‟ questions – 78% of the
respondents either agree or strongly agree that NNESTs always give them sufficient answer to
their questions; and 75% of the respondents also confirm the statement in item 14 that
“NNESTs have more empathy towards students‟ struggle as language learners.” It means that
the students perceive NNESTs as emphatetic teachers who understand their feelings in their
struggles in learning English, such as their frustration when learning certain materials, anxiety
of dealing with difficult materials, and their embarassment in speaking English.
Non-NESTs benefit from their ability to use the learners’ mother tongue
The last two items depict the quality of NNESTs related to their ability to use Indonesian as the
mother tongue as a mean of conveying meaning as well as comparing and contrasting
grammar.
I believe that NNESTs...
Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree
Strongly Agree
15. can help define unfamiliar words by using
Indonesian. 0% 9% 43% 48%
16.
compare and contrast between the
grammar of English and Indonesian. 5% 11% 61% 23%
Table 6. NNESTs benefit from their ability to use the learners’ mother tongue
The highest percentage of „strongly agree‟ response falls to item 15. As much as 48% of the
respondents strongly agree that NNESTs are very helpful in defining unfamiliar words by using
Indonesian. In total, there are 91% of the respondents who agree to the statement. In the last
item, 84% of the respondents show agreement towards the statement “NNESTs compare and
the majority of the respondents are very positive towards NNESTs‟ ability in using Indonesian
in ELT field.
Discussion
The overall results of the questionnaire demonstrate that students of English Teacher
Education Program have positive perceptions towards NNESTs in their faculty. It is very clear
that the students are no longer caught up in the “native speaker fallacy” beliefs stating that
NESTs are the most ideal English teachers because of their high proficiency of the language.
The students seem to have positive perceptions towards NNESTs mostly because of their
believe that NNESTs have the experience of being former English learners, which make them
more insightful in teaching the language.
NNESTs’ experience as L2 learners
NNESTs have the experience of learning English as a second language too and
therefore, they know more about the strategies and method to master the language from the
point of view of L2 learners. Unlike NESTs, as English learners, NNESTs learn the language
structures, phonetic sound, and everything else consciously. That conscious knowledge of the
language and the grammar is what then help NNESTs to explain and elaborate the grammar of
the language better (Tatar and Yildiz, 2010). Besides the grammar, NNESTs are also more
sensitive in the different way of pronouncing words between the two languages. In this case,
NNESTs have the advantages to support their explanation with the use of L1 by comparing and
contrasting either the grammar or the pronunciation of the two languages.
Tatar and Yildiz (2010) also added that the foreign language experience make NNESTs
more aware of the learning strategies that the students have to employ to master the language.
might occur in the learning process. These ideas are more or less similar to Medyges‟ (1992)
study which mentioned that NNESTs know how to teach language-learning strategies
effectively, can provide more information about the English language, and good at anticipating
and preventing language difficulties. The respondents‟ belief itself are in line with the theories
and literature provided as about 80% of the respondents are aware of those qualities of
NNESTs in ELT classroom.
NNESTs and their use of L1 as a pedagogical tool in the EFL classroom
The highest percentage of the scale „strongly agree‟ can be seen in the item 15, which
states that NNESTs can help define unfamiliar words by using Indonesian (L1). The total of
91% of respondents believes in that statement, with 48% of them strongly believe in it. It
shows that one of the strengths of NNESTs in EFL contexts lies in the fact that they can make
use of the shared L1 with the students to promote language learning (Yacoub, 2011; Mullock,
2010). Tatar and Yildiz (2010) also asserts that NNESTs can benefit from the shared L1 with
the students as a resource to assist, guide, and improve the students‟ learning process in the
EFL classroom. L1 use in the classroom is believed as a powerful tool to improve the
communication between teacher and students as well as to raise awareness regarding English
forms and structures by comparing and contrasting them with L1 forms and structures.
Furthermore, as it is already mentioned in the literature supporting Medyges‟ (1992) idea,
Mullock (2010) also points out that being able to use L1 is another unique feature of NNESTs
which allows them to identify learners‟ problems and help them convey meaning of some
abstract words in the L2 in a more effective manner.
NNESTs are more empathetic to the learners’ needs and problems
As it is written in the literature, Medyges (1992) explains that NNESTs are more
understand the learners‟ feelings and struggles in learning the language (Yacoub, 2011). The
majority of the respondents in this study themselves have either agreed or strongly agreed on
the statements that “NNESTs always give sufficient answer to the students‟ questions.” and
that “NNESTs have more empathy towards students‟ struggle as language learners.” Their
agreement in the first statement might imply that they feel that NNESTs always give sufficient
answer in terms of giving them the satisfying answer of what they need to know. The second
statement which also gets positive response from 75% of the respondents shows support to the
literature. It explicitly states that NNESTs are indeed empathetic to the learners‟ needs and
problems in learning the language as perceived by the learners themselves.
In addition, this quality is also related to correction, such as correcting students‟
mistakes sensitively and explaining why they are wrong. As much as 73% of the respondents
believe that NNESTs always try to correct students‟ errors. This item is actually categorized in
the NNESTs‟ quality of anticipating and preventing language difficulties, which is obviously
one of their strengths obtained from their own language experience as English learners
(McNeill, 2005). However, this issue of correcting students‟ mistakes and errors sensitively has
also been perceived as less motivating by some learners (Ma, 2012). It is also in contrary with
NNESTs‟ quality of being empathetic to the learners‟ problems because by keeping correcting
students‟ errors, they do not show tolerance nor understanding towards students‟ frustration in
learning the language. As the questionnaires do not really dig deeper about this issue, this issue
remains an area that needs to be further researched.
Implication
The qualities of NNESTs perceived by the students in the current study have supported
the findings in the previous studies that have also examined the question in other similar
Field needs to be raised, especially for all faculty and ELT institution management, head
masters, deans , and other policy makers not to select their English teachers based only on the
teachers‟ nativeness, but instead on the qualities that they have.
In addition, seeing the great potential that NNESTs have related to their own language
learning experience, both language teacher training programs and in-service teacher training
should give more opportunities to improve NNESTs‟ language skills through professional
development activities. With all the unique qualities that only NNESTs could have, great
language skills, and professional teacher training, the existence of NNESTs need to be
considered valuable in ELT Field.
Conclusion
Based on the findings of this research study, NNESTs are perceived to have some
unique qualities that they get from their experience as L2 learners and also from the shared L1
with the students. By experiencing learning English as a second language as the learners,
NNESTs are believed to have more insights. They know exactly how to anticipate and prevent
language difficulties as well as to deal with the learners‟ needs and problems to improve their
students‟ learning process. NNESTs‟ success in mastering the language until they have become
English teachers also have made them seen as imitable models for learning English. The
findings also demonstrates that students strongly believe that the L1 used by NNESTs help
promote language learning as it can be used to convey meaning of some abstract words. In
other words, students perceived NNESTs to have their own unique qualities in teaching.
However, the present study is only a small‐scale research study, with a small student
sample size (N=100) which was drawn from only one English programs in a university in
larger sample size, which is probably not only from some English program in universities, but
also high schools and other ELT Field institutions. The qualities of NNESTs in different
institutions might be perceived differently by students as there are also different English
teaching qualification demands from each institution.
Despite the limitation, hopefully the present study provides a better understanding of the
qualities of NNESTs from the students‟ perceptions and NNESTs‟ contributions in ELT Field
can be recognized and valued properly, especially by all the faculty and institution
managements, head masters, deans in any English Teacher Education Program, and many other
policy makers, so that the cases of unfair discrimination against NNESTs can be reduced in the
following years. For further research, it would be worthy to dig more about NNESTs‟ specific
strengths and weaknesses in particular areas of language teaching, such as oral skills, literacy
skills, culture, etc, and this research can be done not only in Indonesia, but also in other
countries with NNESTs. That future research will be beneficial to further develop NNESTs‟
Acknowledgement
Firstly, let me be thankful to God Almighty who has accompanied me along the way to
finish this thesis in His time. Without His blessing, this thesis would not have been possible.
I would also like to express my gratitude and deepest appreciation to my supervisor,
Anita Kurniawati H., M. Hum, who has supported me and kept believing that I could give the
best I had in my thesis. I would not have been able to make a well-written thesis without her
guidance. In addition, I am also very grateful to my thesis examiner, Drs. Martha Nandari,
M.A., who has shared me some useful insights to improve the quality of my research.
This acknowledgement is especially dedicated to my wonderful parents, Budi Kuncoro
Sidik and So Bie Eng, for their never-ending support and motivation during my study. They
have always been there for me whenever I needed them. Once again, thank you for all the love
and timely advice you gave me; I owe my deepest gratitude to them.
I can‟t give enough thanks to all my best friends who have always been helping me
boost my spirit in doing my thesis. Without their help, I would have never felt so determined to
finish it on time. Furthermore, I would also like to extend my gratitude to all ED Family who
has given me many precious and valuable experience for my future. They are all priceless to
me.
The last, but not least, thanks to all the students of ED 2010 and 2011 who were willing
to be the participants in my research. The completion of this thesis would not have been
References
Alseweed, M. A. (2012, October 19). University Students‟ Perceptions of the Influence of Native and Non-native Teachers. English Language Teaching,12(5), 42-53. Canadian Center of Science and Education.
Arva, V. & Medgyes, P. (2000). Natives and Non-Natives Teachers in the Classroom. System,
38(1), 355-372.
Butler, Y. G. (2007). Factors Associated with the Notion that Native Speakers are the Ideal Language Teachers: An Examination of Elementary School Teachers in Japan. JALT
Journal, 29(1), 7-40.
Butler, Y. G. (2007). How are Nonnative-English-Speaking Teachers Perceived by Young Learners? TESOL Quarterly, 41 (4).
Cheung, Y. L. & Braine, G. (2007). The Attitudes of University Students towards Non-Native Speakers English Teachers in Hong Kong. RELC Journal, 38(3), 257-277.
Cook, V. (2000). The Author Responds... TESOL Quarterly, 34, 329-332.
Fathelbab, H. H. (2009). Natives or Non-Natives: The Only Choices? Power in the EFL
Classroom: Critical pedagogy in the Middle East, 237-262. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK:
Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Fathelbab, H. H. (2010, May). Re-Imagining the NS/NNS Dichotomy: Bicultural Teachers
(Unpublished Master‟s Thesis). TEFL Department, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The American University in Cairo.
Kao, S-F. (2007). Being a Native Speaker isn‟t Enough to Teach. Taipei Times. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2007/01/02/20.
Kelch, K. & Santan-Williamson, E. (2002). ESL Students‟ Attitudes toward Native and Nonnative-Speaking Instructors‟ Accent. CATESOL Journal, 14(1), 57-72.
Laborda, G. (2006). Native or non-native: Can we still wonder who is better? TESL-EJ, 10(1),
23-28.
Lasagabaster, D. & Sierra, J.M. (2002). University Students‟ Perceptions of Native and Non -Native Speaker Teachers of English. Language Awareness, 11 (2), 132-142.
Lasagabaster, D. & Sierra, J. M. (2005). What do Students Think about the Pros and Cons of Having a Native Speaker Teacher. In E. Llurda (Ed.), Non-native Language Teachers:
Perceptions, Challenges, and Contributions to the Profession, 217-241. New York:
Springer.
Liu, M., & Zhang, L. (2007). Student Perceptions of Native & Non-native English
Teachers‟Attitudes, Teaching Skills Assessment and Performance. Asian EFL Journal,
Madrid, D. (2004, June 02). Teacher and Student Preferences of Native and Nonnative Foreign Language Teachers. Portalinguarum, 2, 125-138.
Mahboob, A. (2004). Native or Non-Native? What do Students Enrolled in an Intensive English Program Think? In L.D. Kamhi-Stein (Ed.), Learning and Teaching from
Experience: Perspectives on Nonnative English-speaking Professionals, 121-148. Ann
Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.
Maum, R.(2002, December). Nonnative-English Speaking Teachers in the English Teaching Profession.Center for Applied Linguistics. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/0209maum.html
McNeill, A. (2005). Non-native Speaker Teachers and Awareness of Lexical Difficulty in Pedagogical Texts. In E. Llurda (Ed.), Non-native Language Teachers: Perceptions,
Challenges, and Contributions to the Profession,107-128. Springer: USA.
Medgyes, P. (1992). Native or Non-native: Who's Worth More?ELT Journal, 46(4), 340-349.
Medgyes, P. (1996). Native or non-native: Who‟s Worth More? Power, Pedagogy & Practice,
31-42. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Medgyes, P. (2001). When the Teacher is a Non-NativeSpeaker‟. Teaching English as a
Second or Foreign Language. Boston,MA: Heinle & Heinle
Oxford, R.L. (1990c). Styles, Strategies, and Aptitude: Important Connections for Language Learners. Language Aptitude Reconsidered, 67-125. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Park, E. (2009). The Korean University Students' Preferences toward Native English Teachers.
Modern English Education, 10(3), 114-130.
Phillipson, R. (1996). ELT: The Native Speaker‟s Burden. Power, Pedagogy & Practice, 23-30. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Reves, T. & Medgyes, P. (1994). The Non-Native English Speaking EFL/ESL Teacher‟s Selfimage:An international survey. System, 22(3), 353-367.
Tatar, S. & Yildiz, S. (2010). Empowering Nonnative-English Speaking Teachers in The Classroom. In A. Mahboob (Ed.), The NNEST Lens: Non native English Speakers in
TESOL, 114-128. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Wenden, A. & Rubin, J. (1987). Learner Strategies in Language Learning.Cambridge: Prentice-Hall.
Yacoub, E. M. (2011, May). Attitudes of Jordanian Graduate Students and Teachers towards
Native and Non-Native English Language Teachers(Unpublished Master‟s Thesis).
Appendix
Dear participants,
I am a student of English Teacher Education Programs of Satya Wacana Christian University, who is conducting a research for my thesis to fulfill a partial requirement to graduate from the university. The purpose of this research is to investigate the qualities of Non-Native English Speaker Teachers (NNESTs) perceived by students, as students are the ones who are directly taught by the teachers in class. I expect you to kindly participate by filling in the questionnaire. Feel free to give your answer based on your thinking because your response to the questionnaire will no way affect your grade and will be kept confidential.
Please put a check mark (√) in the appropriate options. 1 = strongly disagree
2. have the most valuable asset for teaching English, which is their experience in learning the language.
3. had worked hard to learn English until they have become English teachers like now.
4. are able to offer appropriate help in terms of writing.
5. can teach some reading strategies that help students understand reading texts better.
6. know how to engage students in the lesson by using different class activities.
8. explain English grammar items in details.
9. put more emphasis on grammar rules.
10. are more aware of how English words are pronounced.
11. understand students‟ language problems and difficulties in learning English.
12. always try to correct students‟ error.
13. always give sufficient answer to the students‟ questions.
14. have more empathy towards students‟ struggle as language learners.
15. can help define unfamiliar words by using Indonesian.
16. compare and contrast between the grammar of English and Indonesian.
Participant Demographic Info
Student‟s Number : ____________________________
Gender : M / F (circle accordingly)
Length of learning English : ____________________________
If you would like to be further interviewed, please kindly give your contact: Phone number : ____________________________
