Apple vs. Mangosteen: A Qualitative Study of Students’ Perception towards Native and Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers

Recruiting native English-speaking teachers to teach the target language is becoming a prevailing practice in many countries. Concerns arise in the field of ESL teaching due to this sharp increase in the number of inexperienced NEST teaching. While there is an influx of qualified Non-native English-speaking teachers (NNEST) globally, it is still much easier for untrained Native English-speaking teachers (NEST) to be employed. The present study investigated students’ perspectives of both types of teachers and whether as time progressed will affect their respective views. This study was done in one of the schools in Malaysia. Data was collected through essay writing. The findings revealed that most of the students initially had negative perception towards NNESTs especially when it comes to teaching grammar and oral skills. On the other hand, the NESTs despite being viewed favorably at the beginning of the study, received an increase of negative receptions from students. Despite the different attributes shown by both types of teachers – they complement each other. Students agreed that collaborative teaching is a better way when addressing this dichotomous world of NESTs and NNESTs.