Attitudes toward Non-Native English Teachers Talking Style

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2017 in the subject Communications - Language, grade: A, Urmia University (Urmia University of Medical Sciences), course: TEFL, language: English, abstract: This study aimed at investigating the MA EFL learners'attitudes toward some features of teacher talk regarding gender and experience of teaching in Iranian context. During the study, MA students of TEFL courses in Urmia University were selected as the population of the study. To begin with, 60 male and 60 female EFL MA students were selected as the participants. The instrument used in this study was a researcher made questionnaire which was initially piloted. The questionnaires were distributed among the subjects at the end of their class time with the cooperation of their English teachers in some classes. It took the participants roughly 20 minutes to fill out the questionnaire which included Likert-type questions. Based on the findings of the study it was revealed that the most and least important factor for the students regarding the teachers talk are visual and extra-linguistic information the use of Persian language respectively. Additionally, comparing the four different factors regarding the features of teacher talk, it was revealed that Visual and extra-linguistic information factor, Lexical and syntactic familiarity, Speed of speech and the use of Persian language had the highest to the lowest mean score respectively. It was also indicated that female students rather than male students were significantly more in favor of speed of speech and lexical and syntactic familiarity. Moreover, it was concluded that teaching experienced students rather than non-experienced students had higher mean scores in attitudes to Visual and extra-linguistic information.