Principles and practices of non-native English speaking tertiary teachers in Thailand: Personal, affective, pedagogical and contextual considerations

Abstract

The study of non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) has attracted increasing research attention over the past twenty years. This present research aimed to contribute to our understanding of English language teaching conducted by NNESTs. It presents case studies of four NNESTs' principles and practices in a Thai tertiary context and explores what happens inside language classroom from the perspective of teachers. It combines evidence from what four NNESTs in classrooms did with the rationales they provided for their teaching behaviours in order to gain a better understanding of how teachers made sense of and construct locally-based English language teaching pedagogies within the Thai English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Four NNESTs who differed in their linguistic, cultural, and professional backgrounds were the study participants. Interviews and observations constituted the primary data sources, supported by teaching materials and course documentation. The three finding chapters of the thesis reported on affective, pedagogical, and contextual considerations in teachers' principles and practices. Regarding affective considerations, all participants attempted to create an affective climate conducive to English language learning, and constructed group cohesiveness among class members. Concerning pedagogical considerations, they enacted their personal principles of how the English language should be presented and taught to learners to facilitate English language learning. With regard to contextual considerations, participants tried to adjust their instruction to suit a particular group of learners in the local Thai context. They also revealed an awareness of macro-context influences on ELT, especially in the views they expressed with regard to the validity of native English speaker norms in the context of English as an international language, and the professional credibility of themselves as NNESTs. Teachers' abilities to meet learners' affective and language learning needs and to adjust instruction to suit local micro- and macro-contextual factors were crucial practical, professional knowledge of these four teachers. This study revealed both individual and group homogeneity and diversity in their principles and teaching practices. Teachers' personal principles were found to underpin teaching practices complexly and dynamically. The findings illustrate how personal beliefs, relational concerns, disciplinary and pedagogical knowledge, as well as context awareness interact in the instructional decisions that teachers make. It is hoped that this study will enrich our understanding of NNESTs and the complex and dynamic realities of locally-based English language teaching practices.