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A Comparative Study On The Teaching Of English Reading Between The NEST And The NNEST From The Perspective Of Teachers Beliefs And Teaching Styles

Posted on:2016-04-15Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:L J TangFull Text:PDF
GTID:2285330464470708Subject:English Language and Literature
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As China has accelerated the pace of internationalization, English as a lingual franca, its importance is self-evident. Since reading is the basic component of any language skill, it can be argued that the cultivation of English reading ability is a vital means to learn English well. The College English Syllabus revised in 1999 raised requirements from two levels to English teaching in the tertiary education of our country, "To foster students’ strong reading ability and certain listening, speaking, writing and translating ability," from which we can learn that the cultivation of students’ reading ability was put at the first place. However, so far the teaching effect of the reading course in most of the colleges is far from satisfaction. Therefore, it’s imperative for teachers to improve English reading teaching and help students promote their reading ability. To meet this end, some universities have tried to designate foreign teachers to get involved in reading class. As a result, nowadays more and more foreigners have entered Chinese colleges and participated in the teaching of English reading skills.This paper is a comparative study between English reading classes taught respectively by a native English speaking teacher (hereinafter referred to as NEST) and a non-native English speaking teacher (hereinafter referred to as NNEST) in terms of teachers’ beliefs and teaching styles, which aims to answer the following questions:1. What are the differences in the teachers’beliefs and teaching styles between the NEST and the NNEST of the English reading class and how these differences influence students’ English reading?(2) What are the advantages and disadvantages of both the NEST and NNEST in the teaching of English reading class?(3) How to make these two distinctive teachers’ advantages complement each other?Two classes, from Guangxi University of Foreign Language College, including 25 students and 23 students separately taught by the NEST and the NNEST, are chosen as subjects in this study. Tests, questionnaires, interview and class observations are employed as the measuring instruments of this study. Data from the exams, questionnaires are collected and analyzed quantitatively with the use of Excel 2003. Data of interviews and class observations are also analyzed qualitatively to supplement the results of the questionnaires and examinations.The results of the comparative study indicate that both the NEST and the NNEST hold the same teachers’beliefs but their teaching styles differentiate. The NEST likes asking students to study independently and perform some timed reading in the class, while the NNEST are keen on sharing his personal viewpoints and experience in the aspect of vocabulary building. By comparing students’ vocabulary exam and reading exam overall, the class taught by the NEST does better than the one taught by the NNEST. On the contrary, the NNEST’s class surpasses the NEST’s class in the vocabulary exam. According to class observations and interviews, both the NEST and the NNEST manifest their own strengths and weaknesses. The NEST has sound knowledge about the culture of English speaking countries whereas the NNEST can anticipate students’ language problems and empathize with them, for he has gone through the same process of learning this language with students.Based on the results, it is suggested that if these two types of teachers can merge their counterparts’ strengths to offset their weakness, they can effectively improve the level of English reading teaching.
Keywords/Search Tags:English reading class, NESTs(Native English Speaking Teachers), MNESTs (non-Native English Speaking Teachers), teachers’ beliefs, teaching styles
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