Students' perceptions of plurilingual nonnative teachers in higher education: An added or a mudded value?

In this study we compare students' perceptions of expatriate nonnative teachers in two higher education institutions, one in Geneva, Switzerland, and the other in Hamburg, Germany. Relying on a theoretical framework that crisscrosses aspects of internationalization of higher education and students' perceptions of nonnative discourse and its intelligibility, the current study compares how students in both universities perceive nonnative teachers' performances in the classroom and the impact that these perceived performances may have on their academic achievements. Results point out that, in both institutions, despite their different sociolinguistic profiles, the interviewees tend to positively value multilingualism and plurilingual repertoires. However, it emerges that Swiss students express willingness to position themselves absolutely positive, whereas German students are more neutral regarding the added value of the "plurilingual nonnativism".