Iranian language learners’ attitudes towards distinctive characteristics of English teachers; a mixed-methods study

Investigating teachers’ characteristics concerning both effective teachers and subject matter’s specific characteristics has been of significance in teacher education. Having collected both statistical and textual data, the current study sought to explore Iranian learners’ attitudes on the distinctive characteristics of English language teachers. The study deliberately focused on private language institutions learners in so far as it was thought that they would are in much contact with English teachers both at schools and language institutions. To this end, ۱۵ language learners took part in the research. Questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group interviews were utilized as the main tools of data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze and interpret quantitative data, and the collected qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. Six themes were generated out of the qualitative data: the nature of the subject, the content of teaching, methodology, teacher-student relationship, economy, and target population. The study has a number of implications for language teachers and teacher education.

Keywords:

English language teachers , Learners’ attitudes , Mixed-method study , Teaching Quality