Vietnam national university University of languages and international studies FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES DIÊM THI ̣HẢO TÂM M. MINOR THESIS TEACHERS AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF A GOOD TEACHER OF ENGLISH (Nhận thức của giáo viên và sinh viên về một người giáo viên tiếng Anh tốt) Field: English teaching methodology Code: 60 14 10 Supervisor: Nguyễn Minh Huê,̣ M. Hanoi, 2010 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLES OF CONTENTS PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Statement of the problem and rationale for the study…………………………….
1 2 Research aims and questions……………………………………………………… 2 3. Significance of the study………………………………………………………… 2 4. 3 PART B : DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 4 I. Definition of a good teacher …………………………………………………… 5 II.
General views about a good teacher…………………………………. Specific attributes of a good teacher …………………………………. General views and specific attributes of a good English teacher ………………. General views about a good English teacher………………………….
Specific attributes of a good English teacher………………………. Perceptions of students and teachers on a good language teacher……. Studies on teachers and students‟ perceptions of a good teacher of English …… 17 I. CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY 19 II.
Participants……………………………………………………………………… 19 - Teachers……………………………………………………………………………… 19 - Students………………………………………………………………………………. Data collection methods and procedures ………………………………………. CHAPTER III: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 22 III. Teachers and students‟ perceptions of the personal qualities of a good teacher 22 of English………………………………………………………………………….
4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Teachers and students‟ perceptions of professional development and academic 23 requirement for a good teacher of English …………………………………………… 26 III. Teachers and students‟ perceptions of the roles of a good teacher of English…. Teachers and students‟ perceptions of the importance of classroom practices… 34 III.
Summary of the findings ………………………………………………………. Limitations and recommendations for further research………………………. REFERENCES APPENDICES 5 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ESL: English as a second language GED: General Educational Development CLT: Communicative language teaching ESP: English for special purpose Q 1: Question 1 6 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS Chart : Teachers and students‟ perceptions of the personal qualities. 23 Table 1: Teachers and students‟ perceptions of professional development and academic requirement.
24 Table 2: Teachers and students‟ perceptions about roles of a language teacher. 26 Table 3: Teachers and students‟ perceptions of the importance of classroom practices. 31 7 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Statement of the problem and rationale for the study A question that many teachers often ask is: I like my job, and I love the students, but how can I become a good language teacher? The answer is not easy.
It is clear that whether someone can become a good foreign language teacher does not solely depend on his /her command of the language. Some linguists assume that those who are engaged in language teaching profession have the burden of keeping up-to-date, not only with the language which is taught but ever changing learner needs and profiles as well (Kayhan, 1999). According to Schrier (1994), along with subject matter knowledge, professional good foreign language teachers must also have “the ability to reflect, analyze critically, select the tools and materials of teaching, and evaluate the products and performance of the learners” (p. Wing (1995) emphasized that today‟s language teachers are expected to have multiple roles along with target language competence: ‘In structuring the foreign language environment, the teacher needs to be a manager who facilitates language acquisition; a resource developer who uses to the greatest advantage the target and native languages, materials, and technology; an analyst who observes and evaluates what is happening in the classroom (p.‟ Cross (1995) identified several ingredients of an ideal language teacher.
According to him, an ideal language teacher should have high level of education, subject matter competence, professional competence which involves lesson planning, textbook selection, materials and tests design, awareness of current teaching approaches, and educational theory. According to Williams (1975), in order to teach the language effectively, a teacher needs two major competencies as well as having excellent knowledge of the target language s/he is teaching, s/he should have teaching skills to apply in the classroom. According to Williams‟ argument, a language teacher should have a good blend of target language knowledge on the one hand and skills to present and teach the target language to the students on the other. As a language teacher, it is necessary to know what a good English teacher is.
Needless to say, knowing how to be a good English teacher can improve the qualities of teaching and help students learn English effectively and efficiently. Teacher‟s personalities 9 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com and teaching methodologies will affect how students learn. Moreover, Jersild (1955) says that the teacher‟s understanding and acceptance of himself are the most important requirement in any effort he makes to help students to know themselves and to gain healthy attitudes of self-acceptance. This study is conducted with the aim to find out the perceptions of students and teachers of good teachers of English.
By means of survey research based on questionnaires and interviews completed by students and teachers, I try to define the characteristics of a good English teacher both from teachers and students‟ point of view. I hope that the views from the participants are essential as a whole picture of teaching and learning language activities. Though students‟ perceptions instead of actions were the main focus in the present study, it may be that people cannot implicitly understand the problems or the factors of hindrance without looking at the whole picture from students and teachers. Therefore, I would like to find out the differences between teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions in order to improve the quality of language teaching.
2 Research aims and questions This study is carried out to: a. to investigate teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions of a good teacher of English b. To find out the differences between teachers and students of a teacher of English. In order to achieve these aims, the study seeks to answer the following research questions: 1.What are the perceptions of “a good teacher of English” held by students and teachers of English at Haiduong Medical Technical University? 2.
What are the commonalities and differences between the teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions of a good teacher of English? 3. Significance of the study English as a second language (ESL) teachers often encounter student resistance to some of their activities. Some students want more opportunities for free conversation while others complain about the pattern drill. When language teachers fail to meet student expectations, students can lose confidence or interests in the teacher and their ultimate achievement can be limited.
It is true that teacher‟s performance have a strong impact on the students‟ ultimate success in language learning. Due to this reason, I decided to carry out this study in order to explore a whole picture of what a good English teacher is, both 10 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com perceptions of teachers and students are crucial in this study. The students in the study might have similar perceptions or very different perceptions from the English teachers. Thus, looking for ways to use insights from the research might help English teachers understand what to expect from students, or it might give teachers ideas for tasks, assignments or assessment.
Chapter arrangements The minor thesis consists of six chapters. The first chapter includes a statement of the problem and rationale for the study, the aims, significance of the study as well as chapter arrangement of the study. The second chapter includes five parts. The first part is introduction, the second part is definition of a good teacher, the third is qualities of a good English teacher, the following part is studies on teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions of a good teacher of English and the last one is research questions.
The third chapter is research method: part one is research context, part two is participants, part three is data collection instrument and procedures and part four is data analysis. In chapter four, the researcher shows results and discussion about findings. Chapter five gives some implications. The last chapter is about limitations and conclusions of the study.
11 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW I. Introduction In a study with 200 foreign language teachers teaching English, French, Arabic, Brosh (1996) identified the perceived characteristics of effective language teachers. According to the results of this study, desirable characteristics of effective language teachers include: knowledge and command of the target language, the ability to organize, explain, and clarify, and the ability to arouse and sustain interest and motivation among students. Many language teachers have the same point with Hammadou and Bernhardt (1987): “Language teachers differ from other teachers in that they do not teach a ‘factual product’ but rather a process of communication and that they may lose the use of the process if they themselves do not use it on a regular basis” (p.
302) Included in many factors that directly influence the success of language teachers are also conditions such as: teaching resources, administrative support, and physical facilities in schools where teachers work (Crookes, 1997). In order to keep up with such a demanding profession foreign language teachers need be in the development of professional competence, which is the state or quality of being adequately qualified for the profession, and armed with a specific range of skills, strategies, knowledge, and ability. Moreover, they have to try their best to become a good language teacher. A question is raised that how can one become a good language teacher? And to answer this question each language teacher has to understand definitions and characteristics of a good language teacher, which are mentioned in the following parts.
Definition of a good teacher What is a good teacher? What characteristics should a good teacher possess? What makes good teachers better than others? Buskist et al.‟s (2002) study on students‟ perceptions on what qualities “master” teachers possess produced a list of 28 traits. Such qualities as knowledgeable, wellorganized, hardworking were all featured in the list. However, it is interesting to note that more than half qualities in the list were interpersonal in nature. Furthermore, the five most valued characteristics were: understanding, personable, respectful, happy, and caring.
A good language teacher should conduct interesting classes, emphasize good pronunciation, give clear 12 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com explanation, have a good knowledge of the target language, have no favouritism, try to involve the students into the classroom activities, and be patient. He/she should be friendly, prepares good notes, can tell jokes, plays games with the students, treats the weak learners well, and acts like a comedian. A good teacher should be able to explain lessons clearly and arouse students‟ interest. All responsible English teachers have ethic devotion, and they are supposed to make their personal styles compatible with their work.
These two aspects, which are beyond the scope of this book, can be achieved as long as the teacher himself has the willingness to do so. Moreover, he/ she should be kind, responsible and establish good relationship with students. This review is aimed at finding out the perception and qualities of a good teacher from different perspectives. General views about a good teacher For a teacher, years of teaching experience and knowledge of teaching methods do not guarantee effective teaching.
Teachers should constantly look for ways to develop themselves professionally and sharpen their teaching skills along with the subject matter : "One who teaches effectively, teaches not only his subject but himself. Personality is that part of the teacher's self which he/she projects into every classroom activity, thereby affecting and conditioning every learning situation" Penner (1992: p. A language teacher's professional competence is much more difficult than a driver's skill to handle a car, and is more complicated than student's competence of speaking a foreign language.