Student Interactions and Perceptions in the English Classrooms Organized by Native and Thai Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers

Abstract

This present study aimed at investigating the interactions occurring in the English classes taught by native (NEST) and non-native English-speaking teachers (NNEST). The study also examined the student perceptions towards learning English with NESTs and NNESTs. The participants were 80 Grade 10th students (16 males and 64 females) from one school in Mahasarakham province. To observe the interactions happened in both classrooms, the videos of class observations were recorded and transcribed. The questionnaire was also applied as the instrument to achieve the perceptions of students towards learning English with NESTs and NNESTs. The findings obtained from the analysis of classroom interactions showed that there were two-way interactions (teacher-students interactions) promoted in both classrooms. However, the teacher-student interactions occurring in NEST’s classroom were closer to real-life verbal conversation as compared to the interactions in the NNEST’s classroom. The results also revealed that students showed their positive perceptions towards both teachers. Most students, however, stated that they have higher preferences of learning English with NESTs than NNESTs. The higher frequencies of classroom interactions promoted in the NEST’s classroom were consistent with students’ attitudes in general toward NESTs. The findings from this research study have informed the patterns of classroom interactions constructed by the NEST and the NNEST in the investigated context and contributed to research in the areas of classroom discourse which could help to raise the teachers’ awareness of how their teaching methods affect students’ interactions and motivations in learning English. The results also helped other NESTs and NNESTs to find ways to improve their teaching methods to promote students’ interactions in other English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms.

-