Borg (2006) The Distinctive Characteristics of For

ThedistinctivecharacteristicsofforeignlanguageteachersSimonBorgUniversityofLeeds,UKThispaperaimstoextendourunderstandingofwhatitmeanstobealanguageteacherbyexaminingwaysinwhichlanguageteachersareseentobedifferenttoteachersofothersubjects.Languageteachers’distinctivenesswasdefinedbyover200practisingandprospectivelanguageteachersfromarangeofcontexts,andtheanalysisalsoincludedtheopinionsofspecialistsinmathematics,history,scienceandchemistryontheextenttowhichcharacteristicsclaimedtobedistinctiveoflanguageteachersappliedtotheseothersubjects.Thefindingsofthestudysuggestthatlanguageteachersareseentobedistinctiveintermsofthenatureofthesubject,thecontentofteaching,theteachingmethodology,teacher–learnerrelationships,andcontrastsbetweennativeandnon-nativespeakers.Thestudyalsoraisesmethodologicalandconceptualissuesofrelevancetofurtherresearchintothisarea.Keyamongstthesearetheneedtodefinelanguageteachers’distinctivecharacteristicswithreferencetospecificcontextsratherthanglobally,theimportanceofcomparisonsbetweeninsiderviewsonsuchdistinctivenessandthosefromoutsidelanguageteaching,andthevalueofcomparativestudiesofactualclassroompracticesoflanguageteachingandothersubjects.IIntroductionThispaperreportsanexploratorystudyintothedistinctivecharacteris-ticsoflanguageteachers,specificallyofteachersofEnglishasaforeignlanguage.Abasicassumptionhereisthatitshouldbepossibletodistin-guishteachersofdifferentsubjectsfromeachotherinwayswhichgobeyondsimplereferencestotheirdiversesubjectmatters.Asecondassumptionisthatthisisakeyissueforteachereducators;languageteachereducationpresupposesanunderstandingofwhatspecificallyitLanguageTeachingResearch10,1(2006);pp.3–31©2006EdwardArnold(Publishers)Ltd10.1191/1362168806lr182oaAddressforcorrespondence:SimonBorg,SchoolofEducation,UniversityofLeeds,LeedsLS29JT,UK;email:[e-mail]her,andthereforeinsightintothedistinctivecharacteristicsoflanguageteachersiscentraltotheworkoflanguageteachereducators.IwillstartbydiscussingtheliteraturethatinformedtheresearchIpresenthere.Adescriptionoftheprinciplesandproce-duresinvolvedintheconductoftheresearchfollows,andthefindingsarethenpresented.Thepaperconcludeswithadiscussionofkeyissuestoemergefromthisworkandsuggestionsforcontinuingresearchintothistopic.Twoframingcommentsarenecessarybeforeproceeding.First,teachersofEnglishasaforeignlanguagearetakenheretobeindividualsinvolvedinsupportingthelearningoftheEnglishlanguagebylearnerswhosecontactwiththislanguageintheirowncountriesislimitedlargelytotheclassroom.Second,itmaybehelpfultopointoutfromtheoutsetthatalthoughthefocusofthisstudyisonthecharacteristicsoflanguageteachers,thefindingssuggestthatthesecannotbeconsideredinisolationofthecharacteristicsoflanguageteaching.Thepaper,therefore,doesultimatelyexplorebothteachersandteaching.1Languageteachers’characteristicsTwoareasofliteratureinformedtheresearchIpresenthere:(a)workondisciplinarycharacteristicsand(b)studiesofthegoodlanguageteacher.Idiscusseachoftheseinturnbelow.aDisciplinarycharacteristics:Thestudyofthecharacteristicsofacademicdisciplinesisanestablishedfieldofenquiryinpsychologyandeducation(e.g.BecherandTrowler,2001;Biglan,1973;HativaandMarincovich,1995).Mostofthisworkhasbeenconductedinuniversitysettings,and,asNeumann(2001)highlightsinherreview,thereisevidenceofarangeofwaysinwhichteachingpracticesatuniversitylevelmayvaryacrossdisciplines(e.g.‘hard’disciplines,suchasphysicsandengineering,emphasizecognitivegoalssuchaslearningfacts,while‘softareas’,suchashumanitiesandeducation,focusmoreongeneralknowledge,characterdevelopmentandeffectivethinkingskills).Workondisciplinarycharacteristicsoutsideuniversitysettingshasfocusedlargelyonlearnersratherthanteachers(butseeLanger,1994).Thesameistrueinthefieldoflanguageteaching(e.g.Mori,1999),thoughoneexceptionhereisHammadouandBernhardt(1987:305),4Characteristicsofforeignlanguageteacherswhodiscusswhattheycall‘theuniqueartofbeingaforeignlanguageteacher’.WithinaNorthAmericancontext,theyarguethatBeingaforeignlanguageteacherisinmanywaysuniquewithintheprofessionofteach-ing.Becomingaforeignlanguageteacher,too,isadifferentprocessfromthatwhichotherfutureteachersexperience.Thisrealityisrootedinthesubjectmatterofforeignlanguageitself.Inforeignlanguageteaching,thecontentandtheprocessforlearningthecontentarethesame.Inotherwords,inforeignlanguageteachingthemediumisthemessage.(1987:302)Fivefactorsthatdistinguishtheexperienceofforeignlanguage(FL)teachersfromthatofteachersofothersubjectsareproposedbytheseauthors.Thesefactorsareasfollows:1)Thenatureofthesubjectmatteritself.FLteachingistheonlysub-jectwhereeffectiveinstructionrequirestheteachertouseamediumthestudentsdonotyetunderstand.2)Theinteractionpatternsnecessarytoprovideinstruction.EffectiveFLinstructionrequiresinteractionpatternssuchasgroupworkwhicharedesirable,butnotnecessaryforeffectiveinstructioninothersubjects.3)Thechallengeforteachersofincreasingtheirknowledgeofthesubject.Languageteachersteachcommunication,notfacts.Inothersubjects,teacherscanincreasetheirsubjectmatter