Investigating NEST schemes around the world: supporting NEST/LET collaborative practices

Abstract

The project Investigating NEST schemes around the world: supporting NEST/LET collaborative practices, funded by the British Council ELT Research Partnership Awards Scheme, was undertaken during 2014. Its main aims were to:  ■ Discover which countries currently use NESTs (Native English Speaker Teachers) in state education.  ■ Investigate how NEST schemes operate in different countries and the training and support received by participants. ■ Observe what happens in NEST classes and what are the typical roles played by LETs (Local English Teachers) and NESTs. ■ Highlight what can be learnt from the experiences of LETs and NESTs to improve classroom teaching.  ■ Identify what support can be offered to LETs and NESTs to improve training and support.  The project was conducted using document analysis, interviews with NESTs and LETs and classroom observations. Document analysis was used to gather detailed information about NEST schemes and prepare a final audit document. Semi-structured interviews were carried out in six different countries (Brunei, Cameroon, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) with 15 NESTs and 8 LETs for a total of 23 interviews. Observational data were collected from a total of 15 classrooms in four countries (Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan) involving ten NESTs and 15 LETs.