Teacher-student cultural mismatch in EFL: A survey of native English-speaking language teachers in Italian universities

The influence of cultural background on the attitudes and behaviours of L2 learners has been a topic of considerable interest, particularly in Asian contexts. However, less attention has been paid to cultural differences between English language teachers and their students, where diverse backgrounds may lead to conflicting ideas about language learning. This study reports the findings of a survey of native English-speaking language teachers in Italian universities. The results indicate that cultural mismatch is rather pronounced, suggesting that these teachers have retained certain presumed native cultural values which emerge during teaching. At the same time, they also demonstrate cultural flexibility and an awareness of the need to consider cultural issues. Open-ended feedback provided practical suggestions for dealing with cultural differences. This insight can be useful for a better understanding of the underlying reasons for cultural differences, and help teachers to deal with them in a more effective and culturallysensitive way.