Students' perceptions towards NESTs and NNESTs teachers in online education

There are many reasons why the English language is taught as a foreign language in many countries around the world. The most important reason is that English is considered an essential language for access to scientific, economic, political, and military developments. For this reason, English education is included in the curriculum from primary school to university level in many countries around the world. There are many approaches and techniques to language learning; these approaches are not limited to face-to-face education but also online education provides opportunities for language learners. Thus, English education is not restricted to classroom instruction; it can be taught using a variety of ways and methodologies in an online context, owing to technological advancement. It is vital to note that the role of teachers is not limited to in-class education, but is also significant in online education. For this reason, teachers have a tremendous effect on their students' capacity for learning English in an online setting as well. In the majority of the globe, non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs) teach English, whilst native English speaker teachers (NESTs) teach English in other areas of the world. The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of students' perceptions of NESTs and NNESTs in online education. A survey and content analysis were carried out in order to achieve this goal. The survey data was analyzed using the SPSS software program, and the content analysis results were further classified into categories, codes, and themes. At the end of the research, it was determined that students favored both NESTs and NNESTs for their different language learning needs and backgrounds. Keywords: Native English Speaking Teachers (NESTs), Non-native English Speaking Teachers (NNESTs), Online Education.