Expatriate Native English Speaking Lecturers in a Thai University Context: Privileged or Underemployed?

Article Sidebar

PDF
Published: Jul 12, 2022
Keywords:
Native-speakerism Expatriate Lecturer Teacher Work Condition English Language Teaching in Thailand Higher Education

Main Article Content

Preechaya Mongkolhutthi
Language Institute, Thammasat University, Thailand

Abstract

This case study explores the working condition of expatriate native English speaker lecturers at a higher educational institution in Thailand regarding the extent of their workplace support and how they perceive the support given. Primary and secondary data from expatriate lecturers (n=8) and administrators of the context (n=4) demonstrate that being an ideal model for language production does not always make native English speaker lecturers a more privileged professional group than non-native speakers. The findings also point to the risk of their underemployment in three aspects: quality of their professional learning and teaching, support system, and sustainability. The expatriate participants reveal that the potential underemployed work conditions are in line with their expectations. It could be concluded that it is not only the policies that determine the working conditions and the lecturers’ opportunities for involvement in the organization’s policy consideration but also the lecturers who have chosen to disengage.

Article Details

How to Cite
Mongkolhutthi, P. (2022). Expatriate Native English Speaking Lecturers in a Thai University Context: Privileged or Underemployed?. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 15(2), 326–350. Retrieved from https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/LEARN/article/view/259932
Issue
Vol. 15 No. 2 (2022): LEARN Journal (July-December)
Section
Research Articles
Author Biography

Preechaya Mongkolhutthi, Language Institute, Thammasat University, Thailand

An Assistant Professor at the Language institute, Thammasat University, Thailand. She holds a PhD in Education from the University of York. Her research is in the area of Professional Studies with a specific focus on Professional Development for, and Workplace Relationship of, English language teachers in Higher Educational context. Her current research focuses on workplace culture and professional development opportunities of diverse groups of English language teachers in Thailand and marginalised groups (Expatriate lecturers and non-contract lecturers).

References

Abe, E. (2013). Communicative language teaching in Japan: Current practices and future prospects. English Today, 29(2), 46–53. doi:10.1017/s0266078413000163

Andresen, M., Dickmann, M., & Suutari, V. (2018). Typologies of

internationally mobile employees. In Dickmann, M., Suutari, V., Wurtz, O. (Eds.), The Management of Global Careers (pp. 33–61). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-76529-7_2

Angrosino, M.V. (2007). Qualitative research kit: Doing ethnographic and

observational research. SAGE Publications Ltd. doi:

4135/9781849208932

Bernstein, J. D., & Woosnam, K. M. (2019). Same same but different:

Distinguishing what it means to teach English as a foreign language within the context of volunteer tourism. Tourism Management, 72, 427–436. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2019.01.010

Beymer, M. R., Holloway, I. W., & Grov, C. (2017). Comparing self

reported demographic and sexual behavioral factors among men who have sex with men recruited through Mechanical Turk, Qualtrics, and a HIV/STI clinic-based sample: Implications for researchers and providers. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 47(1), 133–142. doi:10.1007/s10508-016-0932-y

BLASST (2013). BLASST: Benchmarking leadership and advancement of

standards for sessional teaching. Accessed 6 July 2016 from http://blasst.edu.au/docs/BLASST_Guide_Intro.pdf

Creswell, J. W. (2011). Controversies in mixed methods research. In

Denzin, N. K., Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (4th ed., pp. 269-284). SAGE.

Cohen, D. & Crabtree, B. (2006). Qualitative research guidelines project. Retrieved from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website: http://www.qualres.org/HomeSemi- 3629.html

Danisman, S. A. (2017). Attitudes towards culture in the new home: Self-

initiated expatriate academics in Turkey. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 44(1), 1–29. doi:10.1080/13530194.2016.1177486

Eisenhammer, S. (2012). Britain faces "brain drain" as jobs dry up.

Retrieved from https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-graduates-braindrain/britain-faces-brain-drain-as-jobs-dry-up-idUKLNE8AB01K20121112

Ferguson, D. (2018). ‘I will never return to teach in England’: the UK

teachers finding refuge abroad. Retrieved from

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/oct/02/neverretu

rn-teach-england-refuge-abroad

Harvey, M. (2013). Setting the standards for sessional staff: Quality learning and teaching. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 10(3), 52–85. doi:10.53761/1.10.3.4

Hattam, S. K., & Weiler, T. (2022). Reframing the ‘illegitimate’ academic:

The critical role of professional development for sessional staff. Teaching in Higher Education, 22(5), 1-19. doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2022.2049743

Holliday, A. (2006). Native-speakerism. ELT Journal, 60, 385–387.

doi:10.1093/elt/ccl030

Irvine, A., Drew, P., & Sainsbury, R. (2013). ‘Am I not answering your

questions properly?’ Clarification, adequacy and responsiveness in semi-structured telephone and face-to-face interviews. Qualitative Research, 13(1), 87–106. doi:10.1177/1468794112439086

Ishak, N. M., & Abu Bakar, A. Y. (2014). Developing sampling frame for

case study: Challenges and conditions. World Journal of Education, 4(3), 29–35. doi.org/10.5430/wje.v4n3p29

Jenkins, J. (2006). Current perspectives on teaching world Englishes and

English as a lingua franca. TESOL Quarterly, 40(1), 157-181. doi:10.2307/40264515

Johnston, B. (1997). Do EFL teachers have careers? TESOL Quarterly, 31,

–712. doi:10.2307/3587756

Jorgensen, D. L. (1989). Applied Social Research Methods: Participant

observation. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi:

4135/9781412985376

Kawai, N., & Mohr, A. (2017). How does perceived underemployment

influence expatriate job-related outcomes? A moderated mediation study. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31 (7), 1–27. doi:10.1080/09585192.2017.1389763

Khan, L. J., & Morrow, P. C. (1991). Objective and subjective

underemployment relationships to job satisfaction. Journal of business research, 22(3), 211-218. doi:10.1016/0148-2963(91)90002-f

Kirkpatrick, A. (2010). Researching English as a lingua franca in Asia: The

Asian Corpus of English (ACE) project. Asian Englishes, 13(1), 4–18. doi:10.1080/13488678.2010.10801269

Kirkpatrick, R., & Bui, T. T. N. (2016). Introduction: The challenges for

English education policies in Asia. English Language Education Policy in Asia, 1–23. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-22464-0_1

Lee, C. H. (2005). A study of underemployment among self-initiated

expatriates. Journal of world business, 40(2), 172–187. doi:10.1016/j.jwb.2005.02.005

Macalister, J. (2018). Professional development and the place of journals

in ELT. RELC Journal, 49(2), 238–256. doi:10.1177/0033688218771385

Mahboob, A., Uhrig, K., Newman, K. L., & Hartford, B. S. (2004). Children

of a Lesser English: Status of Nonnative English Speakers as College-Level English as a Second Language Teachers in the United States. In L. D. Kamhi-Stein (Ed.), Learning and Teaching from Experience: Perspectives on Nonnative English-Speaking Professionals (pp.100-120). The University of Michigan Press.

Matsuda, A. (Ed.) (2012). Principles and practices of teaching English as

an international language (Vol. 25). Multilingual Matters.

Matsuda, A. (2022). Teaching English as an International Language. In H.

Mohebbi & C. Coombe (Eds.), Research Questions in Language Education and Applied Linguistics: A Reference Guide. (pp. 151-156). Springer

McKay, S. L. (2018). English as an International language: What it is and

what it means for pedagogy. RELC Journal, 49(1), 9–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688217738817

McKenna, S. (1999). Storytelling and “real” management competence.

Journal of Workplace Learning, 11(3), 95–104. doi:10.1108/13665629910264262

Mottaz, C. J. (1986). An analysis of the relationship between education

and organizational commitment in a variety of occupational

groups. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 28(3), 214–228. doi:10.1016/0001-8791(86)90054-0

Medgyes, P. (1992). Native or non-native: Who's worth more?. ELT

Journal, 46(4), 340–349. doi: 10.1093/elt/46.4.340

Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and

implementation. Jossey-Bass.

Neergaard, H., & Leitch, C. M. (Eds.). (2015). Handbook of qualitative

research techniques and analysis in entrepreneurship. Edward Elgar Publishing. doi:10.4337/9781849809870

Noor, K. B. M. (2008). Case study: A strategic research methodology.

American Journal of Applied Sciences, 5(11), 1602–1604. doi:10.3844/ajassp.2008.1602.1604

OECD/UNESCO (2016, November 1). Education in Thailand: An OECD-

UNESCO perspective, reviews of national policies for education. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264259119-en.

Paikeday, T. M. (1985). May I kill the native speaker?. TESOL Quarterly,

(2), 390–395. doi:10.2307/3586840

Patel, P., Varma, A., Sengupta, S., Prikshat, V., & Park, H. (2022). The

international training of expatriates in Western subsidiaries of emerging multinational enterprises: A knowledge-based perspective. Journal of International Management, 28(1), 100–908. doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2021.100908

Peltokorpi, V., & Jintae Froese, F. (2009). Organizational expatriates and

self-initiated expatriates: Who adjusts better to work and life in Japan?. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20(5), 1096–1112. doi:10.1080/09585190902850299

Phillipson, R. (1992). ELT: the native speaker's burden?. ELT Journal,

(1), 12–18. doi:10.1093/elt/46.1.12

Rivers, D. J., & Ross, A. S. (2013). Idealized English teachers: The implicit

influence of race in Japan. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 12(5), 321–339. doi:10.1080/15348458.2013.835575

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques

and procedures for developing grounded theory. (2nd ed.). Sage.

Sturges, J. E., & Hanrahan, K. J. (2004). Comparing telephone and face-to-

face qualitative interviewing: a research note. Qualitative Research, 4(1), 107–118. doi:10.1177/1468794104041110

Sung, C. C. M. (2014). An exploratory study of Hong Kong students’

perceptions of native and non-native English-speaking teachers in ELT. Asian Englishes, 16(1), 32–46. doi:10.1080/13488678.2014.880252

Van Der Laken, P. A., Van Engen, M. L., Van Veldhoven, M. J. P. M., &

Paauwe, J. (2019). Fostering expatriate success: A meta-analysis of the differential benefits of social support. Human Resource Management Review, 29(4), 1-22. doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2018.12.003

Van Tol, C. (2016). The global English language job market is changing:

What this means for ESL teachers. Retrieved from https://medium.com/accelerated/the-global-english-language-job-market-is-changing-what-this-means-for-esl-teachers-92c8d87cf8eb

Virick, M., & McKee-Ryan, F. (2018). Reemployment quality,

underemployment, and career outcomes. Oxford Handbooks Online. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199764921.013.012

Walkinshaw, I., & Oanh, D. H. (2014). Native and Non-Native English

Language Teachers: Student Perceptions in Vietnam and Japan. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014534451

Weisheit, J. (2018). Should I stay or should I go? A systematic literature

review about the conceptualization and measurement of international relocation mobility readiness. Journal of Global Mobility: The Home of Expatriate Management Research, 6(2), 129–157. doi:10.1108/jgm-01-2018-0003

Wongsothorn, A. (2004). Thailand. In H. W. Kam, & R. Y. L. Wong (Eds.).

Language policies and language education: The impact in East Asian countries in the next decade (pp. 329–341). (2nd ed.). Eastern Universities Press.

Zein, M. S. (2016). Elementary English education in Indonesia: Policy

developments, current practices, and future prospects. English Today, 33(1), 53–59. doi:10.1017/s0266078416000407