Materials Adaptation for EFL College Students: Comparison between NESTs and NNESTs

Materials Adaptation for EFL College Students: Comparison between NESTs and NNESTs

Effective learning frequently necessitates the modification and adaptation of teaching materials to better meet the diverse needs of learners. This study examined the reasons native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native-English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) adapt their English language teaching (ELT) materials. Furthermore, the differences between NESTs and NNESTs and the influence of teaching experience were also explored, as these elements are insufficiently researched in the EFL context. Forty-seven English teachers (28 NESTs and 19 NNESTs) at N University participated in this study. Descriptive statistics, reliability coefficients, and t-tests were performed to analyze the collected data. The results showed that both NESTs and NNESTs adapt their ELT materials for the following reasons: Deficiencies of materials, teacher preferences, student needs, student proficiency, culture, and technology and resources. There was almost no difference in mean scores for each adaptation reason between the two groups, and therefore, no statistically significant differences were found across the six reasons. However, one statistically significant difference was found between less experienced and more experienced teachers regarding technology and resources. The authors discuss the implications based on the study results to support accessible and collaborative ELT environments.