The Comparative Analysis on Students’ Perception about Korean and Native English Teachers

This study reports Korean middle school students’ different perception about their Korean and native English teachers. Based on the questionnaire results obtained from 191 Korean middle school students, the perceptual differences between two types of teachers and their impact on the students’ L2 motivation and L2 scores were analyzed. The study findings were as follow: First, the students responded that whereas the Korean teachers were better in terms of teacher expertise and comprehension skills, the native teachers were better in terms of teaching skills, interaction, and personality. Second, the correlation analysis found that compared to the native teachers, the relationships between L2 motivation, L2 scores, and the Korean teachers were stronger. Finally, the regression analysis indicated that the Korean teachers’ personality and the native teachers’ expertise were both the most powerful factors explaining students’ L2 motivated behavior. While the study questions the common belief that the native speaker is the most desirable model to teach and learn English, it emphasizes the importance of building emotional rapport between a teacher and students for creating motivational L2 learning environments.