An Investigation of Teachers' Profile and Their Teaching Experience: The Case of Jihad Daneshgahi Language Institute

The purpose of the present study was to investigate learners' preferences and willingness inselecting special classes that are managed and controlled by the teacher they prefer to have. Inaddition, it was intended to know why some classrooms fill sooner than others. To this end, 15EFL teachers (both male and female) who were teaching English at Jihad Daneshgahi privateschool, aged between 25 and 48 years were observed while teaching. In the institute where thedata were gathered, each teacher has a profile including personal information, educational andwork background. For assessing the related factors that affect teachers' improvement in theirteaching, teachers' profiles were investigated. The findings suggested that as the teachers' age getsolder their interest and motivation in teaching diminished; however, their experience andknowledge in most cases improved. In terms of gender, the findings of the profile checking and theinterviews revealed some tendency for and against teachers from opposite gender. Male teacherswere accepted more than female teachers. In terms of teachers' marital status, single teacherswere described with features like having good sense of humor, being creative and fluent, makingsuitable use of body language and being energetic. As far as the economic status of teachers wasconcerned, it was observed that richer teachers were more successful in their teaching. Most ofthe participants were reported to be knowledgeable teachers in term of language skills. It was seenthat high level of content knowledge does not necessarily lead to more fascinating teachers.Making use of proxemics and body language in addition to facial expressions including smilingwere considered to be favorable for learners especially among younger learners. The results canbe useful for language institutes and universities.

Keywords:

Teacher profile , Teachers' knowledge , Teacher education , Teacher performance