“Attitudes of Saudi Students towards Native and Non-Native English Language Teachers”;
Attitudes of Saudi Students towards Native and Non-Native
English Language Teachers at King Faisal University
1. Introduction
English is an international language and is now increasingly used as international and intercultural communication around the world. According to Graddol (2001), English is spoken as the second language by about 375 million speakers and as a foreign language by about 750 million speakers.
The increasing demand for English all over the world and the ever increasing number of non-native teachers in the field has led to debates regarding to whether English should be taught by native or by non-native teachers and whether native or non-native teachers are better in terms of teaching the English language. So, English cannot be exclusively associated with native English speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom.
Students' success in learning a target language can be impacted positively or negatively by various factors, including their beliefs about how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) should be taught and their beliefs regarding characteristics of the ideal English language teacher. In other words, students' attitudes have been shown to have a profound impact on their success. If students come to class with a belief that native teachers make better teachers, and they have a non-native teacher, their motivation to succeed in the class can be affected.
The issue of native and non-native has been shown to have a profound effect on the experiences of foreign students and worldwide. The importance of this subject particularly in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has encouraged the researcher to investigate it from students' points of view.
2. Research Question
The current research attempts to answer the following question:
Q1. What are the attitudes of Saudi students towards native and non-native English language teachers at King Faisal University?
3. Significance of Research
It is hoped that this research will inform teachers about the attitudes of their students. So, teachers and researchers will more accurately know the beliefs that the students bring to the classroom and can better know what types of activities and exercises that can consider in their text books.
4. Purpose of Research
The purpose of this research is to determine the attitudes of Saudi students towards native and non-native English language teachers at King Faisal University by using Students' Attitudes towards Native and Non-Native English Language Teachers Questionnaire by Reves and Medgyes (1994).
Appendix (1)
Students' Attitudes towards Native English Language Teachers
Please decide whether the following statements are true of your native teachers of English and indicate the extent to which you agree with each item based on this scale:
1- Strongly Agree 2-Agree 3- Neutral 4- Disagree 5-Strongly Disagree
No, Items
I believe that the native English
language teacher'' Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree
1. can pronounce naturally and
accurately.
2. can correct students' pronunciation.
3. speaks English fluently.
4. focuses primarily on speaking skills.
5. is better in teaching reading and
vocabulary.
6. is better in teaching writing skills.
7. encourages students to speak more
English in class.
8. speaks too fast.
9. has too many unfamiliar words in
hisher speech.
10. is not familiar with the students'
language problems.
11. cannot explain the concepts or
words in Arabic.
12. is less sensitive to students' culture.
13. provides extensive information
about the culture of English speaking
countries.
14. treats students equally and fairly.
15. hardly understands students' point of
view.
16. is patient about students' errors.
17. prepares learners well for the exams.
18. employs modern teaching methods
and techniques.
19. uses more interesting class activities.
20. assigns a lot of homework.
21. assesses students' language
knowledge properly.
22. is too strict in marking.
Appendix (2)
Students' Attitudes towards Non-Native English Language Teachers
Please decide whether the following statements are true of your non-native teachers of English and indicate the extent to which you agree with each item based on this scale:
1- Strongly Agree 2-Agree 3- Neutral 4- Disagree 5-Strongly Disagree
No, Items
I believe that the non-native English
language teacher'' Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree
1. knows English language grammar
very well.
2. puts more emphasis on grammar
rules.
3. uses simple English to explain
grammar.
4. focuses primarily on speaking skills.
5. teaches reading and vocabulary more
efficiently.
6. is good in teaching writing skills.
7. teaches all the required
skills:(listening, speaking, reading
and writing)
8. understands students' language
problems and difficulties.
9. corrects students' errors.
10. explains unfamiliar words by using
translation.
11. compares and contrasts between the
grammar of English and Arabic.
12. helps students to develop
understanding of the foreign culture.
13. speaks more Arabic during the class.
14. speaks English fluently.
15. relies heavily on the course book.
16. is not familiar with English culture.
17. assesses students' language
knowledge properly.
18. is too strict in marking.
19. assigns a lot of homework.
20. uses different class activities.
21. is co-operative with students.
22. treats students equally and fairly.
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