STUDENT’S AND TEACHER’S PERCEPTIONS OF AN «IDEAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER» at SULEYMAN DEMIREL UNIVERSITY

Abstract

The paper presents a research study conducted at Suleyman Demirel University that aimed in investigating
the perceptions of characteristics of an «Ideal English Language Teacher» by students and
teachers. Those characteristics are divided into two categories of personal and professional qualities. The
second one includes such sub-categories as: English proficiency, pedagogical knowledge, organization
and communication skills, and socio-affective skills. The data were collected through the questionnaires
among 157 students and 17 ELT teachers at the faculty of Education and Humanities. The quantitative
findings revealed that students and teachers placed an importance on both qualities. However, there
were found statistic differences. Students perceive psychological skills as the most essential quality that
Ideal ELT teacher should have, in contrast according to teachers’ perceptions English Proficiency is considered
as highly necessary quality.
Key words: ELT teacher, characteristics of ELT teacher, professional qualities, personal qualities.