An exploratory study of Hong Kong students' perceptions of native and non-native English-speaking teachers in ELT
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Asian Englishes
Publication Date
3-1-2014
Volume
16
Issue
1
First Page
32
Last Page
46
Publisher
Routledge
Keywords
English language teaching, Hong Kong, native speaker teachers, non-native speaker teachers, student perceptions
Abstract
This article reports on an exploratory study which investigated the perceptions of Hong Kong secondary students towards native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs). Qualitative data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with 25 students from four secondary schools. The results indicated that the participants identified the strengths and weaknesses of both NNESTs and NESTs. While the perceived strengths of NESTs included the use of interactive teaching styles and their accurate pronunciation, the weaknesses were concerned with their teaching of grammar and examination skills. By contrast, NNESTs were perceived by the students to be competent in the teaching of grammar and examination strategies, but the perceived weaknesses were concerned with the use of relatively 'traditional' teacher-centered teaching methods and their inaccurate pronunciation. The analysis also revealed that the perceived strengths and weaknesses of NESTs and NNESTs are largely complementary. Implications for classroom teaching practices and teacher education are discussed.
DOI
10.1080/13488678.2014.880252
Print ISSN
13488678
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2014 Taylor & Francis
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Sung, C. C. M. (2014). An exploratory study of Hong Kong students' perceptions of native and non-native English-speaking teachers in ELT. Asian Englishes, 16(1), 32-46. doi: 10.1080/13488678.2014.880252