An investigation into the perceptions of Thai international tertiary students towards the outward ethnic looking appearance of their EFL teachers in Thailand

Abstract

English Language Teaching is a field of research with a vast body of knowledge which has cultivated a plethora of related subjects of interest such as: ELF, World Englishes, Native-ness, ESL/EFLetc… However one topic which can still benefit from more research in ELT is the perception of the language students about their teachers and how it pertains to their outward appearance, ethnicity and teachers’ competency. The thesis will explore these attitudes in the context of Thailand in order to confirm to debunk their accuracy.

Key research objectives will be to generate and contribute empirical data on the Thai EFL students’ perceptions, specifically towards their EFL teachers’ ethnicity and how this relates to their teachers’ competency. A further aim will be to view Critical Race Theory and explore its relationship to concepts of Whiteness and White Privilege and how it’s perceived in the EFL context of Thailand including: students, teachers and their respective academic institutions.

Research was undertaken at three different universities in Thailand with international curriculums (all classes taught in English) from seven different teachers of different ethnic backgrounds. A multi-modal approach of data collection was utilized including: pilot study, surveys, and observations in order to ensure validity and reliability through concurrent data collection and triangulation.

Relevant findings of the study include Thai student’s perceptions of their EFL teachers including their teaching competencies and their empathy towards their students. Respondents surveyed agreed that non-white English speakers can attain native status and that non-white teachers and teach just as effectively as their white counterparts. Students surveyed also agreed that ‘farang’ or white teachers are not always the easiest to understand; however white teachers remain preferable to nonwhite teachers as their skin color affords them intrinsic status of being a native English speaker and; therefore, they possess ownership of the language and the ‘real’ accent to aspire to as an EFL learner. This ‘whiteness’ also extends into the student’s perception of ‘white privilege’ whereby ‘farang’ teachers receive preferential treatment in terms of employment opportunities and higher financial compensation because hiring them increases the positive image of the institution. This proliferation of structural racism in academia should be actively mitigated by all stakeholders involved in order to provide an equal and unbiased environment which stimulates sharing and teaching of ideas.

In summary, there is a significant amount of respondents who acknowledge that teaching competency has nothing to do with the teacher’s ethnicity or skin color. Non-white EFL teachers have the ability to teach just as effectively as white EFL teachers and non-white English speakers can possess native-ness. That being said, there are also a significant number of respondents who see the value and benefits of an EFL teacher who has the ability to switch between the learner’s L1 language and the target language, when explaining concepts in class. This leads to a paradox for those who claim to prefer white teachers but demand code-switching in class. The ‘ideal teacher’ then equates to a native speaker, preferably white, with effective teaching competency and who is able to explain concepts in Thai. In order to bridge this gap, additional training must be established for white teachers to attain a sufficient level of Thai language usage for the classroom or a suitable alternative instructor should be provided perhaps excluding the ‘whiteness’.