Since the native speaker fallacy, or the view that native English speakers (NS) are the ideal teachers, vastly superior to non‐native speakers (NNS) appeared in the research, many studies have shown that students do not necessarily value teachers based on their mother tongue, and that both NSs and NNSs have strengths and weaknesses in their individual contexts when it comes to teaching English. This entry will summarize how the NS fallacy legitimizes discriminatory practices against both native English‐speaking teachers (NESTs) and non‐native English‐speaking teachers (NNESTs), discuss its implications, and suggest what can be done to achieve a greater equality in the TESOL profession.
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