TEFL Students' Perceptions of Native and Non-Native EFL School Teachers and University Lecturers: A Case Study

Abstract

The idea that non-native English-speaking educators are less competent than their native English-speaking counterparts when teaching language is propagated by the language ideology known as native-speakerism. The dichotomy between these two teacher groups has been addressed in various parts of the world but not in the Armenian context. This study investigates graduate students' perceptions of native/non-native EFL school teachers and faculty at an English medium university in Armenia. Collected Data shows that native and non-native educators were both viewed as meeting students' needs and providing helpful instruction. While preferences for natives were mainly in pronunciation and vocabulary, non-native lecturers, specifically local Armenians, were favored in affective areas. However, a novel finding in this investigation was the confusion over the native speaker term. The study concludes by recommending some academic implementations to offer these in- and pre-service teachers a more nuanced knowledge of the constructs involved.