The Professional Identity of EFL Teachers: The Complexity of Nativeness

Abstract

The current study quantitatively examines the professional identity of 150 EFL teachers in the Israeli educational system. Findings indicate that native English-speaking teachers (“NESTs”) rate themselves higher than non-native English-speaking teachers. Still, fewer differences between the groups were found than predicted. While the results of this study support the idea of considering native English proficiency to be advantageous, the global situation of English use suggests that a different direction should be adopted. Taking advantage of the strengths of each group by embracing cooperation between teachers from different linguistic backgrounds could contribute to a stronger professional identity for language teachers, thus reducing the dichotomy between native English speakers and those who do not speak English natively.