English Teachers’ Conception of the Good Teacher

Abstract

This study explored English teachers' conceptions of the good teacher. Data for the study were obtained from a sample of 57 teachers of English drawn from several high schools in Addis Ababa. The data collection procedure involved asking teachers to write down the attributes that they thought are associated with successful teachers. The collected data were categorized in terms of whether they emphasized the behavioral, cognitive, or affective dimension of teaching. The study revealed that teachers are more likely to describe the attributes of the good teacher with behavioral terms. The behavioural aspect of teaching dealt with both specific teacher competencies and broader characteristics that are thought to underlie such competencies. Good teachers were perceived as task-oriented and are, therefore, well-organized, well-prepared and punctual for classes. Furthermore, the data suggested that successful teachers are those who manage to develop a relationship with students that is not stressful and that is family-like in the sense that they help, encourage and motivate students to achieve better. Definitions of the good teacher that emphasised intellectual capacity and professional competence represented the second most frequent kind of description of the effective teacher. Effective teachers were also perceived to be those that know a great deal about the subject they teach, and who constantly strive to learn more about their subject. Moreover, respondents appeared to describe successful teachers in generic terms in that they used concepts and traits that apply to all subjects as opposed to subject-specific variables dealing with language teaching and learning. Finally, the article offers a brief discussion of the extent to which the results obtained are consistent with relevant literature concerning teachers' and students' conceptions of the good teacher.