Change in ESL Graduate Students’ Perspectives on Non-Native English-Speaker Teachers

Abstract

This article discusses the findings of an ethnographic study that explored the perceptions of ESL graduate students toward non-native English-Speaker Teachers (NNESTs) in the United States, a little researched topic. Analysis of classroom observations and interviews with 12 ESL graduate students from various countries showed that international ESL graduate students were active agents capable of exercising their agencies in evaluations of NNESTs. Overall, students enjoyed having a non-native speaker as their ESL teacher, which suggests that NNESTs have the cultural capital necessary for teaching ESL center courses. The students also reported initial disappointment about the constraints of NNESTs and about their changed attitudes, which seemed to be connected to changes in their teachers’ confidence and effectiveness in classroom management. Suggestions for further research and practice are made.