The ideal psychology teacher: Qualitative analysis of views from Brunei GCE A-level students and trainee psychology teachers

Abstract

We qualitatively explored the notion of the ideal teacher from the context of pre-university Brunei General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A-Level) psychology students and trainee psychology teachers. Both previous research and our own analyses on this concept revealed that the so-called ideal teacher was neither a perfect nor a super teacher but rather an effective instructor who was firm, fair, and a good communicator. Psychology students of various ability levels (high achievers, average students, and low scorers) gave slightly different descriptive characteristics for the ideal teacher. More-able students preferred a cognitive-oriented teacher while less-able students emphasized the affective-oriented instructor. Students in the middle range of the ability scale endorsed both cognitive and affective traits in the ideal teacher traits. Trainee psychology teachers closely resembled the higher achieving GCE A-Level psychology students in their descriptions of the ideal teacher. The findings have implications for teaching and assessing psychology students that we discuss. Further mixed-methods research was recommended to generate more insightful outcomes.