Toward a Conversation Between ESL Teachers and Intensive English Program Administrators

Several scholars have investigated the strengths and weaknesses of native‐English‐speaking (NES) and nonnative‐English‐speaking (NNES) teachers of English as a second language (ESL), but few researchers have explored intensive English program (IEP) administrators' and ESL teachers' perspectives on teacher training and the strengths and weaknesses of NES and NNES teachers. Through online questionnaires, this study examined 96 ESL teachers' perceptions regarding their (MA TESOL) teacher education and 21 IEP administrators' perspectives about teacher training and their resulting hiring practices. Results show similarities between IEP administrators' and ESL teachers' perceptions of NNES teachers' strengths and weaknesses. Participants also wished that preservice teachers were given more firsthand teaching opportunities. IEP administrators emphasized experience, not first language, as a determining factor in hiring decisions. Recommendations to improve teacher education and the teaching experience of NES and NNES teachers are offered.