WHICH ONE BETTER GUIDES ENGLISH LEARNERS: LOCALS OR NATIVES?

Abstract

This study investigates students’ perceptions of native and non-native English teachers, addressing the ongoing debate over which group is more effective in English language instruction. The research aims to explore university students’ and recent high school graduates’ preferences and to examine the reasons underlying their views. Employing a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, the study first collected quantitative data through a four-point Likert-scale questionnaire distributed via Google Forms, consisting of nine statements for each teacher category. Visual prompts were also included to elicit participants’ assumptions about teacher effectiveness. Subsequently, qualitative data were gathered through picture-description tasks and semi-structured face-to-face interviews with five purposively selected participants whose responses were distinctive. Nineteen participants from diverse academic backgrounds took part in the survey, although not all had direct experience learning with native English teachers, meaning some responses reflected perceptions and expectations rather than lived experience. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while interview data were examined thematically to contextualize survey results. The findings reveal that students perceive non-native teachers as more effective in explaining grammar and creating a supportive learning environment, particularly for beginners, whereas native teachers are viewed as advantageous for improving pronunciation, fluency, and exposure to authentic language use. The study contributes to the discourse on English language teaching by highlighting the complementary strengths of both teacher types and suggesting a collaborative instructional model that maximizes pedagogical effectiveness.