Chatrawee Intraboonsom. University teachers and learners revealing their perceived characteristics of an effective university EFL teacher . Master's Degree(Applied Linguistics). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2007.
University teachers and learners revealing their perceived characteristics of an effective university EFL teacher
Abstract:
This study identified perceived characteristics of an effective (and
probably of an ineffective) university English as a foreign language (EFL)
teacher in Hollwell University (pseudonym) from three different perspectives
(i.e., university EFL teachers, university teachers from other disciplines, and
university EFL learners). To conduct the study, the researcher administered a
questionnaire to 21 EFL teachers, 27 teachers from other disciplines, and 1,081
EFL learners from Hollwell University (pseudonym) (N = 1,129) and
interviewed the participants who agreed to be interviewed.
Tabulated responses from the questionnaire indicated a list of several
perceived characteristics that an effective EFL teacher (EEFLT) needed to
have. Five characteristics of an EEFLT rated by EFL teachers were: (1) having
good knowledge of subject matter, (2) preparing the lesson well, (3) creating a
comfortable learning atmosphere, (4) making the lessons interesting, and
(5) motivating students to study the language. Teachers from other disciplines
also rated “having good knowledge of subject matter” as the most important
characteristic of an EEFLT, and the other four characteristics, in order of
importance, were: (1) having good pronunciation, (2) motivating students to
study the language, (3) having good teaching methods, and (4) being able to
explain clearly. EFL learners, in contrast, ranked the five characteristics that an
EEFLT should have in the following order: (1) giving clear explanation,
(2) having good teaching methods, (3) motivating students to study the
language, (4) knowing the subject well, and (5) creating a comfortable learning
atmosphere. Interview data obtained from some volunteer participants
underpinned these quantified data further. The researcher’s analysis of these
interview data revealed different characteristics of an EEFLT dividing into five
categories: (1) teacher personalities, (2) teaching styles, (3) teacher knowledge,
(4) teachers’ roles, and (5) teaching preparation