Cover not available
Article published In:
Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 45:1 (2022) ► pp.25–49

Being native and being foreign

Native JFL teachers’ linguistic identity at tertiary institutions in New Zealand and Australia

ORCID logo | The University of Auckland
| Auckland University of Technology

Pennington and Richards (2016) argue that if the medium of instruction (MOI) is not the native language of the instructor, lack of proficiency in the MOI could bring about a lack of confidence. This study inquired how native Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) teachers at tertiary institutions in New Zealand and Australia perceive their English proficiency, how it influences their linguistic identity, and how the fact that they are native speakers of the target language influences their linguistic identity. Based on responses from an online questionnaire with more than 50 respondents as well as 12 follow-up individual interviews, this study argues that their linguistic identity is not narrowly conceived around their non-nativeness in English and nativeness in Japanese, but constructed from more multi-faceted aspects of language teacher identity formation, especially by factors pertinent to the very nature of the tertiary teaching environment in these countries.

Keywords: Japanese as a Foreign Language, Anglo-Western tertiary education, linguistic identity, non-nativeness, language teacher identity
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Teacher identity
    • 2.1Medium of instruction (MOI)
    • 2.2Native and non-native teachers debate
    • 2.3Native JFL teachers
  • 3.Research design
    • 3.1Research question
      • 3.2Method
        • 3.2.1Online questionnaire in Japanese
        • 3.2.2Individual interviews in Japanese
      • 3.3Participants
    • 3.4Analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Non-nativeness in English
    • 4.2Nativeness in Japanese
      • 4.2.1Skills and knowledge directly associated with the nativeness of the language
      • 4.2.2Skills and knowledge not directly associated with language nativeness
    • 4.3Context
    • 4.4Competences
    • 4.5Evolving and multiple identities
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 18 December 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.19059.min
References
Barkhuizen, G.
(2016) Narrative approaches to exploring language, identity and power in language teacher education. RELC Journal, 47(1), 25–42. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Beauchamp, C., & Thomas, L.
(2009) Understanding teacher identity: An overview of issues in the literature and implications for teacher education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 39(2), 175–189. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Benke, E., & Medgyes, P.
(2005) Differences in teaching behaviour between native and non-native speaker teachers: As seen by the learners. In E. Llurda (Ed.), Non-native language teachers: Perceptions, challenges and contributions to the profession (pp. 195–215). New York, NY: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Canagarajah, A. S.
(1999) Interrogating the “native speaker fallacy”: Non-linguistic roots, non-pedagogical results. In G. Braine (Ed.), Non-native educators in English language teaching (pp. 77–92). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Cook, V.
(2001) Using the first language in the classroom. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 57(3), 402–423. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2005) Basing teaching on the L2 user. In E. Llurda (Ed.), Non-native language teachers: Perceptions, challenges, and contributions to the profession (pp.47–62). New York, NY: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Day, C., Kington, A., Stobart, G., & Sammons, T.
(2006) The personal and professional selves of teachers: Stable and unstable identities. British Educational Research Journal, 32(4), 601–616. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Duff, P. A.
(2011) Identity, agency, and second language acquisition. In: S. M. Gass & A. Mackey (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 410–426). New York, NY: Routledge. Retrieved from DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Duff, P. A., & Uchida, Y.
(1997) The negotiation of teacher’s sociocultural identities and practices in postsecondary EFL classrooms. TESOL Quarterly, 311, 451–486. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ellis, E. M.
(2016) “I may be a native speaker but I’m not monolingual”: Reimagining all teachers’ linguistic identities in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 501, 597–630. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Franklin, C. E. M.
(1990) Teaching in the target language: Problems and prospects. Language Learning Journal, 21, 20–24. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hirahata, N.
(2008) Ajia ni okeru bogowasha Nihongo-kyooshi no aratana yakuwari: Bogowasha-sei to nihonjin-sei no shiten kara [New roles of native Japanese language teachers in Asia: From the perspectives of nativeness and Japaneseness]. Sekai no nihongo-kyooiku, 181, 1–19.Google Scholar
Holliday, A.
(2005) The struggle to teach English as an international language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Huang, I., & Varghese, M.
(2015) Toward a composite, personalized, and institutionalized teacher identity for non-native English speakers in U.S. secondary ESL programs. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 12(1), 51–76. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kramsch, C.
(1997) The privilege of the non-native speaker. PMLA, 1121, 359–369.Google Scholar
Law, W. K.
(1999) Students’ perception of the NET (native English-speaking teacher) in motivating students to learn English: A case study in a band 5 school (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Liu, J.
(2005) Chinese graduate teaching assistants teaching freshman composition to native English- speaking students. In E. Llurda (Ed.), Non-native language teacher: Perceptions, challenges, and contributions to the profession (pp.155–179). New York, NY: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Llurda, E.
(2005a) Non-native TESOL students as seen by practicum supervisors. In E. Llurda (Ed.), Non-native language teachers: Perceptions, challenges and contributions to the profession (pp.131–54). New York, NY: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2005b) Looking at the perceptions, challenges, and contributions…or the importance of being a non-native teacher. In E. Llurda (Ed.), Non-nativelLanguage teachers: Perceptions, challenges and contributions to the profession (pp.1–9). New York, NY: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Macaro, E.
(2005) Codeswitching in the L2 classroom. In E. Llurda (Ed.), Non-native language teachers: Perceptions, challenges, and contributions to the profession (pp.155–179). New York, NY: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mahboob, A.
(Ed.) (2010) The NNEST lens: Nonnative English speakers in TESOL. Newcastle, England: Cambridge Scholars Press.Google Scholar
Matsuda, M.
(2005) Genshoku nihonjin-kyooshi no biriifu ni kansuru shituteki kenkyuu [A qualitative study of in-service teachers’ beliefs in teaching Japanese]. Nagaoka Gijutsu Daigaku Genko/Bunka Ronbunshuu, 191, 215–240.Google Scholar
McNeill, A.
(2005) Non-native speaker teachers and awareness of lexical difficulty in pedagogical texts. In E. Llurda (Ed.), Non-native language teachers: Perceptions, challenges, and contributions to the profession (pp.107–129). New York, NY: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nakai, H.
(2003) Nihonjin daigakusei no eigokyooinkan [Japanese university students’ ideology of English language teachers: On nativeness]. Gogakukyooikukenkyuuronsoo, 201, 159–177.Google Scholar
Norton, B.
(2000) Identity and language learning: Gender, ethnicity and educational change. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Nuibe, Y.
(2010) Nihongo kyooshi ga kihonteki ni sonaeru-beki rikiryoo/senmonsei to wa nani ka [What are the basic professional skills Japanese language instructors must have]. Nihongo kyooiku, 1441, 4–14.Google Scholar
Pennington, M. C., & Richards, J. C.
(2016) Teacher identity in language teaching: Integrating personal, contextual, and professional factors. RELC Journal, 47(1), 5–23. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Phillipson, R.
(1992) Linguistic imperialism. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Ruohotie-Lyhty, M.
(2013) Struggling for a professional identity: Two newly qualified language teachers’ identity narratives during the first years at work. Teaching and Teacher Education, 301, 120–129. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sato, R., & Watanabe, T.
(2007) Ajia goka-koku/chiiki no gakushuusha ga motomeru nihongo-kyooshi no koodootokusei: gakushuu nensuu niyoru sooi [Behavioral characteristics of outstanding Japanese language teachers toward university students in five countries of Asia: Differences in language learning experience]. Ryuugakusei kyooiku, 121, 1–7.Google Scholar
Tajino, A., & Tajino, Y.
(2000) Native and non-native: What can they offer? Lessons from team-teaching in Japan. ELT Journal, 54(1), 3–11. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Takagi, H., & Sato, A.
(2006) Factors that form the ability expected of Japanese teachers: Comparisons between, domestic, overseas and overall results. The Faculty of Humanities and Social Science of Jissen Women’s University. Annual report of studies, 21, 41–60.Google Scholar
Tsui, A. B. M.
(2007) Complexities of identity formation: A narrative inquiry of an EFL teacher. TESOL Quarterly, 41(4), 657–680. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Turnbull, M., & Arnett, K.
(2002) Teachers’ uses of the target and first languages in second and foreign language classrooms. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 221, 204–218. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Varghese, M., Morgan, B., Johnston, B., & Johnston, K. A.
(2005) Theorizing language teacher identity: Three perspectives and beyond. Journal of Language, Identity and Education, 4(1), 21–44. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Walkinshaw, I., & Duong, O.
(2012) Native and non-native speaking English teachers in Vietnam: Weighing the benefits. TESL-EJ, 16(3), 1–17.Google Scholar
Wang, D.
(2016) Medium-of-instruction policy and practices in CSL classrooms. In J. Ruan, J. Zhang, & C. B. Leung (Eds.), Chinese language education in the United States (pp. 83–96). London, England: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2017) Bilingual academic literacies for Chinese language teachers. In D. Palfreyman & C. van der Walk (Eds.), Academic biliteracies: Multilingual repertoires in higher education. (pp. 160–179). Bristol: Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Watanabe, T., Sato, R., Karino, F., & Nuibe, Y.
(2006) Nihongo gakushuusha ga motomeru nihon-kyooshi no koodoo-tokusei: nyuujiirando no kookoosei to daigakusei o taishoo toshite [Empirical research on the behavioral characteristics of outstanding Japanese language teachers: From the standpoint of JFL learners at secondary and tertiary levels in New Zealand]. The Bulletin of Japanese curriculum research and development, 29(1), 59–68.Google Scholar