In the eyes of Turkish EFL learners: what makes an effective foreign language teacher?

Abstract

Research on the qualities of successful teachers in Turkey indicates that students consider teacher effectiveness as the ability to ensure an environment in which positive student-teacher interaction can take place. However, further studies are needed to clarify students' perceptions of the qualities of effective foreign language teachers, in particular, thus providing educators with necessary information concerning the implementation of language teacher development programs. Therefore, 998 undergraduate students at a state university in Turkey were asked to complete a survey concerning the qualities they believed are characteristic of a successful English language teacher. The results provide a detailed profile of university English as a foreign language (EFL) students' perceptions with respect to pedagogy-specific knowledge, personality traits, professional skills and classroom behavior.