Students’ perceptions of native/non-native English-speaking EMI teachers: Are NS teachers better than NNS teachers?

Abstract

Higher Education internalization has prompted a constant growth of EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) courses delivered by teachers with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Existing literature has revealed that native English-speaking (NS) teachers and non-native English-speaking (NNS) teachers have demonstrated different characteristics in EMI teaching in terms of language proficiency and pedagogy expertise. Previous studies mainly focused on teaching features of NS and NNS EMI teachers that are preferred by students. However, these studies see students as an intact group while ignoring the possible impact of students’ different levels of English proficiency on their perceptions of NS and NNS EMI teachers. This study investigates Chinese tertiary students’ perceptions of NS and local NNS teachers’ competencies in EMI teaching, and how these perceptions connect to their self-perceived English. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with seven Chinese university students who enrolled in EMI courses. The study highlighted that students perceived these two groups of lecturers’ teaching competencies differ regarding their language proficiency and teaching methods. Furthermore, these perceptions can be influenced by students’ self-perceived listening and speaking proficiency. The findings provide insights for EMI implementation in Chinese Higher Education and suggestions for refining EMI teachers’ teaching expertise.