Perceptions of Korean University Students Towards English Instructors in Korea

Korea now has a wide range of English speaking instructors, from Korean speakers of English as a Foreign Language, bilingual speakers of Korean and English, English as a Second Language (other than Korean) speakers, to native English speakers. This paper looked at students’ perceptions of learning from two categories of instructors, namely the English speaker teacher (EST): a native English speaker or a non-native English speaker fluent in English and a language other than Korean, and the Korean speaker teacher (KST): a native Korean speaker or a speaker fluent in English and Korean. 465 students, Korean nationals and non-Koreans, learning from these two instructor categories completed an investigative survey and 8 students agreed to participate in semi-structured interviews. Results indicate a strong preference for KST instructors among Korean nationals of both genders, particularly the Korean males, and students who view themselves as having low level English ability. It also indicates EST instructors’ English accent influences students’ preference for KST. Though KST instructors were preferred, their English should not be strongly influenced by Korean and the KST instructors should not make excessive use of Korean during classes. Students wished to improve their English through participation in English classes, but also wished to maintain comfortable instructor-student interaction, with instructors who share not only a cultural background but who understand the tests and challenges Korean students face succeeding in university and post-university life.