The Characteristics of Effective English Teachers

This study aimed to find out the perspectives of teachers and students on the
characteristics of effective English teachers. This study used four categories, namely
subject matter knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, social affective skills, and
personality characteristics. The data were collected using a quantitative method by
distributing questionnaires to 165 students and 64 teachers in high schools in
Yogyakarta. The data revealed that pedagogical knowledge (M 3.55/ SD .188)
indicated the highest mean score based on the teachers’ point of view. On the other
hand, subject matter knowledge (M 3.51/ SD .470) indicated the highest mean scores
based on students’ point of view. Teachers and students nearly share the same
opinion in determining the three characteristics with the highest mean scores of the
four categories. The results of the study provide important implications for teachers
to meet the students’ needs by evaluating their behavior, teaching techniques, and
teaching materials.