A New Era: Non-native English-speaking Assistants1

Abstract

This paper analyses interview data collected from a new type of assistant language teacher (or ALT) in Japan's primary school English classes. All thirteen participants were from outside the “Inner Circle” (Kachru, 1985) countries of English native-speakers, and consisted of Japanese, Brazilian, Filipino, and Peruvian ALTs from three prefectures. Preliminary data was obtained through questionnaires originally designed for typical foreign, native English-speaking ALTs, but revised for the more diverse backgrounds of the target group. Follow- up interviews elicited details on unique team-teaching combinations, including three and even four-person teams, and explored role negotiations. Chief concerns included homeroom teacher participation, pupil motivation levels, the quality of assistants, the cultural appropriateness of teaching materials, the acceptance of American-only accents, and job security. The paper concludes with a summary of assistants' suggestions on how best to address problems.