ENGLISH INSTRUCTORS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ABOUT TAIWANESE NEST KNOWLEDGE AND QUALITY IN TERMS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING

Ching-Ying Lin; Wan-Yu Li
National Pingtung University, Taiwan

ABSTRACT

Many Taiwanese believe the myth that being taught by a native speaker is the best way to English. This belief has influenced many Taiwanese language institutes to include the native English speaking teacher (NEST) as part of a language instructor’s job requirements. There has been a widespread push for changes in the level of knowledge and quality of Taiwanese EFL teacher effectiveness throughout the educational system. This study aims to investigate the impact of native English speaking teachers (NESTs) on Taiwanese EFL students. It also explores how the teachers’ background influences the students’ achievement in terms of the development of their language skills. The present study found that there were significant differences between NESTs and Taiwanese teachers. NESTs were student-centered and cared a lot of about the communication. By emphasizing on communication, independent thinking, and good relationships with students, students could promote their oral skills, be able to produce creative things, and be willing to learn at the same time. The findings also showed how lower levels students tend to be more comfortable with Taiwanese teachers who use primarily the first language (L1), while upper level students tended to choose NESTs, because they needed proficiency skills such as language fluency and higher oral communication to be examples in class. Based on the findings of this study, the implications are made on the topic of the effect of NEST and NNEST on EFL learning.

KEYWORDS

Native Teacher, Non-Native Teacher, EFL Learning, Effective Teaching