Teaching of Second Language in Second Language Contexts: Who should teach?

Nigeria, ID LLCE2015-111

Acquiring a second language is never as easy as acquiring a native language. Beside the UG concept which regulates and filters language structures without any formal instruction, the second language in most cases is usually acquired in formal settings through classroom instructions. However, poor performances of L2 learners have remained a constant problem. One major issue which has not been considered is the issue of the source of input which such learners receive. This study considers the performances of twenty Turkish learners of English in Malaysia involved in a second language programme. Findings revealed that while they performed badly in courses taught by native speakers of English from Australia, their performance was a lot better in courses taught by L2 English speakers from Malaysia. This unexpected outcome raises the fundamental question of who should teach L2 in such contexts.

Key words: teaching and learning, SLA context, second language