Twenty-eighth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

With the knowledge of students’ needs with respect to what they perceive to be the desirable features of the English language teachers, we can adapt our teaching methods, practices, and learning materials to meet these needs. Thus, this study aimed to 1) uncover the characteristics of effective English language teachers, 2) compare the characteristics of effective English language teachers as perceived by students with low English proficiency and by students with high English proficiency, and 3) compare the characteristics of effective English language teachers as perceived by students with different learning styles. The instruments used for collecting data were a questionnaire. Proportional stratified random sampling was employed to formulate a sample of 364 students. The data were statistically analyzed in terms of the means and standard deviations. A t-test analysis was used to identify the different characteristics of effective English language teachers as perceived by students with low English proficiency and by students with high English proficiency. In addition, a Welch test, a type of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), was used to compare the characteristics of effective English language teachers as perceived by students with different learning styles. The results of this study showed that the students highly value the most characteristics, with the highest-ranked characteristics being English proficiency and pedagogical knowledge. Significant differences were observed in the desirable characteristics of effective English language teachers as perceived by students with low English proficiency compared with those with high English proficiency as well as between students with different learning styles.