Part 3: Native vs. Non-Native English Teachers- Who Wins?

credit: www.leadershipthoughts.com

The first and second parts of this series showed the most common criticisms of native and non-native English teachers against each other.

Native teachers criticize non-native's English skills- accent, pronunciation, grammar and cultural knowledge. On the other hand, non-natives argue that a lot of native teachers give English teaching a bad name. 

(See Part 1 and Part 2)

In this last part, let's see the pros and cons of native and non-native teachers. Yes, you read the previous sentence right. Even native English teachers have disadvantages in ESL teaching. And yes, non-native teachers have some advantage against native teachers.

In the early 1990's, Peter Medgyes did an interesting research regarding the perceived differences between native and non-native English teachers. More than 300 ESL teachers- natives and non-natives, from 11 countries were surveyed in this study.

Here's the summary of his study's results. He divided the results into 4 parts.

A. Own Use of English

Native teachers/ Non-native teachers:
- speak better English and speak more confidently / speak poorer English and less confidently
- use real language / use "bookish" language

B. General Attitude
- more innovative, more flexible and more casual / adapts a guided approach, more cautious and more strict
- less emphatic and less committed / more emphatic and more committed
- attend to perceived needs / attend to real needs
- have far-fetched expectations / have realistic expectations

C. Attitude on Teaching English
- less insightful/ more insightful
- use less to no L1/ use more L1
- translates less/ translates more
- give less homework and fewer tests/ gives more homework and more tests
- focused on fluency, meaning, colloquial / focused on accuracy, form, grammar,
  registers and oral skills                            formal registers and printed word

D. Attitude on Teaching Culture
- supply more cultural information/ supply less cultural information


Aside from these results, his study also highlighted the following findings:

1. Native teachers are definitely more proficient in the language. However, proficiency does not mean efficiency in teaching.

2. Although non-native teachers are not as proficient as the native teachers, they use more effective language-learning strategies and they are more sensitive to their students. They also anticipate and prevent language difficulties better than native teachers.

3. Native teachers supply more cultural information while non-native supply more information about the English language.

4. Native teachers provide good language model while non-native teachers provide good learner model.

So Who Wins Now?

After all the arguments and presenting these findings, who ultimately is the better teacher?

As cliche as this will go, I would still have to conclude that it depends on the learner's purpose and level.
If a learner is a beginner or feels overwhelmed by studying English, a non-native teacher seemed to be a better choice. If a learner is already proficient and want to use English in more contextual way, a native teacher is a good choice.We also have to factor in the learner's learning style.

The argument between the natives and non-natives will continue as ESL teaching is constantly evolving. What's good to keep in mind is that: Just like other professions, to be an effective ESL teacher is not dependent on one's country of origin.

Part 2: Native vs. Non-Native English Teachers

The first part of this Native versus Non-Native English Teachers series dealt with the most common arguments of native teachers against non-natives. These complaints are related their language skills- accent, pronunciation, grammar and cultural knowledge.

(See Part 1 here)

On the other hand, non-natives' most common defense are related more on native teachers' view and attitude of ESL teaching. I'm not a native speaker so I don't know what's going on in a native speaker's mind. I can only offer possible explanations why native teachers are perceived in a certain way and why perceptions are not always the reality.

Part 1: Native vs. Non-Native English Teachers

photo credit: www.pixgood.com

There's a perennial argument in ESL teaching about native versus non-native teachers. There are so many issues and thousands of argument about this it took me almost 10 years to finally write my own piece. Also, because of the various points related to this topic, this will be a 3-part series.

The most common argument of Native speakers is that they know English more intimately than the non-natives. They've heard it since they're in the womb. That's how intimate they know the language. This argument is truly valid. Even if I want to learn Japanese, I'll look for a Nihonggo teacher who's actually Japanese. If an Indian teacher shows up in my Japanese class, I'd doubt him at first. 

On the other hand, non-Native speakers argue that since they've learned English they know how to break it down and how to teach it to ESL learners. This argument is also valid. I'm a non-native speaker and the way I teach is the way I learned English. If native speakers have an intimate knowledge of the language, non-natives have personally experienced learning the language. 

Both arguments have merits but there's a disconnect in perspective. Native speakers look at English holistically. English is not just a language but a representation of a culture and of a race. Non-native speakers view English as a skill. It's a tool and a means. 

Interestingly, native speakers' most common arguments against non-natives are skills-related. On the other hand, non-natives' most common arguments are more on the race.

Here are the most common arguments I've read against non-native teachers. As a non-native teacher, I will not provide rebuttals cause I might just sound bias. Instead, I'll try to explain the situation of a non-native English speaker- both as a teacher and as a learner.