Reference no: EM132313303 , Length: word count : 3000

Introduction

Theresearch methodology chosen in this study was designed to answer the research questions and focuses on Taiwanese students who have left high school/university and are currently working in varies professions. The research design in this study used a mixed method's approach was chosen because it uses both quantitative data from questionnaires and qualitative data from interviews that can be more accurately measured (Bryman,1988) and was used to answer the research questions;

1) Do students think NESTs and NNESTs are both equally important in learning all four English skills?

2) Have student’s perceptions of NESTs/NNESTs changed over time?

Research design

A research design is a process that is systemic and methodical, where specific knowledge is collected to help solve particular problems (Sekaran, 1992;4). In other words, it is designed using a process that collects primary data taken from samples of a population using questionnaires, interviews, or both, known as mixed methods (Saunders et al. 2009).

The Questionnaire

Questionnairesare used for collecting quantitative data and can help students with a lower level of English to understand the questions.  A  Likert scale in the questionnaire allowed students to choose options as answers because it was important that the level of English matched the student's ability. 

A questionnaire can be translated into the student's first language for clarity and understanding but was not needed based on the feedback sample data from the pilot questionnaires.

The Taiwan education system focuses on students passing exams with emphasis on reading and writing, and these two skills are used primarily at junior and high school. The students used in the pilot questionnaire were asked to refer a friend to complete another. This snowball effect gathered the thirty required questionnaires and sent via email to the researcher.

Two questionnaires were rejected because they did not meet the specific conditions set out in part one, question five of the questionnaires. The requirement needed to be was that they were both taught by NESTs and NNESTs. Because they answered they were taught only by NNESTs, and opinions would be biased towards NNESTs and would affect the whole questionnaire and data results.

A study by  Moussu ( 2006) who found that student's attitudes towards NESTs and NNESTs did alter through teacher contact time as well as other variables.  Thirty-five questions were composed to extract as much information as possible and divided into five sections using multiple-choice questions, open-ended questions and a Likert scale.

Section one

Questions 1 to 4 collected personal data about themselves  (age, profession, ). Q 5 to 9 used multiple-choice questions designed to obtain what English skills they used, and their reason for studying English.

Section Two

Questions 10 to 17 measured which English skill they found important while studying at school/university in the past and compared them to their current working environment.

Section Three

Questions 18  to 22 used a Likert scale from 1 to 5 and compared who they thought was better at teaching the four English skills, grammar, listening, reading and writing, NESTs/NNESTS, or both.

Section four

Questions 23 to 34 measured the teacher’s relationship with students and how well they knew the subject knowledge,  whether the methodology was effective in maintaining student motivation, and whether students felt that teachers showed empathy while learning in class. Question 34  measured who they thought was a better overall teacher, NEST/NNEST, or both equal.

Section Five

Questions 35 to 36 were open-ended questions where students wrote down their overall opinions of NESTs and NNESTs,  and if their opinion had changed over time, why? These two questions were chosen to answer the two research questions and to ascertain if their answers matched previous studies on student perceptions of NESTs/NNESTs (Moussu, 2006; Cheung, 2002,). 

Saunders et al. (2009) found that unlike quantitative data that uses statistical software for analysis,   there is no standard method used for analysing qualitative data because it depends on the research questions and objectives of the study. Qualitative data collected through questions 35 and 36 of the questionnaire were encoded using  NVivo, a computer package designed to analyse rich text-based data.

Questionnaire

NESTs Native English Speaking Teachers NNESTs Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (UK, USA, AUS, CAN, NZ,) (Taiwanese Teacher)

1. What is your first language? _____________________________

2. Gender: a: male b: female

3. Age group: a: 20 -25 b: 26 - 30 c: 31 -35 d: 36 - 40 e: 41 +

4. What is your profession - job? ___________________________________________

Circle Questions 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9can have more than one answer.

5. Did you have a NEST or NNEST whileat school/university? a: NEST b: NNEST c: Both

6. Do you use English; a: for workb: athome c: for travel d: internet/social media e: I do not use English .

7. How often do you use English? a: every day b: once/twice a week c: once/twice a month d: never

8. What English skills do you use? a: reading b: writing c: listening d: speaking e: none

9. What was your reason for studying English? a: Pass high school exam b: Go to university c: To study/work abroad d: For employment e: Travel/Other _______________________________

Attachment:- Questionnaire Assignment.rar