The Beliefs of Students, Parents, Thai Teachers and Administrators toward International Native and Non-native English Teachers: A Study of Three Sehools in Southern Thailand

Abstract

Despite the fact that nowadays, the majority of English teachers in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context are international non-native English speaking teachers (NNS) with a mix of international native English speaking teachers (NS), there are limited studies about the beliefs of students, parents, also local English teachers and administrators toward international NS and NNS particularly in Asian context, specifically in Thailand. To fill the gap, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 105 participants, including 65 upper secondary students, 18 parents, 16 Thai English teachers and 6 administrators at 3 secondary schools in Southern Thailand. The results indicated that the majority of participants perceived NS as the ideal English teacher because of their superior language competence particularly their accent and pronunciation, Caucasian appearance and their knowledge of Western culture. NNS were perceived to have excellent instructional competence, be understanding and aware of students' needs because of their shared culture as Asians and also they have prior experience in learning English as a second language. This study suggests that although the majority of the participants prefer NS as their ideal English teachers, they believed that there are advantages and disadvantages in learning with both types of teachers.