Techers and students perceptions of qualities of a good vietnamese english language teacher a study at some rural high schools in an giang province

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
VINH UNIVERSITY

NGUYEN HONG PHAM

TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF
QUALITIES OF A GOOD VIETNAMESE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
TEACHER: A STUDY AT RURAL HIGH SCHOOLS
IN AN GIANG PROVINCE

MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION

Nghe An, 2017

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
VINH UNIVERSITY

NGUYEN HONG PHAM

TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF
QUALITIES OF A GOOD VIETNAMESE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE TEACHER: A STUDY AT SOME RURAL
HIGH SCHOOLS IN AN GIANG PROVINCE

Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Code: 60.14.01.11

MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION

Supervisor: Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Yen

Nghe An, 2017
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STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine. The data and findings
discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission from associates, and have not
been published elsewhere.
Author

Nguyen Hong Pham

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This MA thesis has been completed thanks to the help and support of many
people. I would like to express my deep gratitude to all of them.
First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor,
Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Yen for her great enthusiastic instruction, valuable support and
feedback during the time I was conducting this study.
I also would like to thank various teaching staffs of Vinh University, whose
knowledge has helped me a lot in implementing this study.
Many thanks to the authorities, the teachers and students at four high
schools in Phu Tan and Thoai Son district, An Giang province (Chu Van An high
school, Binh Thanh Dong high school, Phu Tan high school, Nguyen Khuyen high

school), who created good conditions for my research, enthusiastically assisted and
participated in the study.
Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my beloved family,
especially my wife who has given me warm support and heartfelt encouragement
during my MA program.

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ABSTRACT
This study investigated perceptions of teachers and students about qualities of a
good Vietnamese English language (VEL) teacher. The research instruments included a
journal assignment and a questionnaire. The participants were VEL teachers and students
at four rural high schools in An Giang province. The journal assignment was employed to
elicit ideas from 27 teachers and 40 students about the qualities of a good VEL teacher.
The questionnaire was administered among 25 VEL teachers and 240 students to examine
the respondents’ perceptions about the importance of qualities of a good VEL teacher. The
results indicated that the participants suggested various qualities that can be categorized
into four aspects: knowledge, professional skill, personal characteristics and social
behavior. A comparison between the teachers and the students’ perceptions showed some
similarities and differences in their views. Both teachers and students appreciated the
importance of teacher’s knowledge, especially the subject knowledge such as
pronunciation, grammar, language use, etc. However, the teachers paid more attention to
the knowledge of pedagogy and educational psychology while the students were more
concerned about teachers’ fund of general knowledge such as knowledge of culture,
society, geography, history, and so on. Teachers and students shared an agreement on the
importance professional skill area; yet, their concerns about specific items in this area were
slightly different. Besides, in comparison with teachers, students gave more weight to
qualities relating to teacher’s personality and social behavior.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………4
1.1 Rationale………………………………………………………………………...4
1.2 Aims of study……………………………………………………………….…..5
1.3 Scope of study…………………………………………………………………..5
1.4 Research questions ……………………………………………………………..5
1.5 Thesis organization …………………………………………………………….6
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ………………………………………..8
2.1 Definitions of key terms ………………………………………………………..8
2.1.1 Perception …………………………………………………………………….8
2.1.2 Qualities ………………………………………………………………………8
2.1.3 Teacher…………………………………………………………………..……8
2.1.4 Native English teachers vs. non-native English teachers……………………..9
2.2 English language teaching………………………………………………………9
2.2.1 EFL versus L1 contexts………………………………………………………..9
2.2.2 EFL versus L1 teachers…………………………………..…………………..10
2.2.3 EFL versus L1 learners………………………………………………………10
2.3 Non-native English teachers in EFL contexts………………………………….10
2.3.1 Overview……………………………………………………………………..10
2.3.2 Advantages and disadvantages of being a non-native English teacher………11
2.4 Perceptions a good teacher’s qualities…………………………………………12
2.4.1 Western views ……………………………………………………………….13
2.4.2 Eastern views ………………………………………………………………..16

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2. 5 Perceptions of a good EFL teacher’s qualities……………………………….18
2. 5.1 Western views ……………………………………………………………...18
2. 5.2 Eastern views………………………………………………………………..22
2.6. Summary ……………………………………………………………………..26
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY……………………………….27
3.1 Research questions ……………………………………………………………27
3.2 Participants ……………………………………………………………………27
3.3 Materials ………………………………………………………………………29
3.3.1 Journal assignment ……………………………………………………...…...30
3.3.2 Questionnaire ………………………………………………………………..30
3.4 Procedures……………………………………………………………………..32

CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS………………………………..36
4.1 Results and findings …………………………………………………………..36
4.1.1 Journal Data………………………………………………………………….36
4.1.1.1 Knowledge ………………………………………………………………..36
4.1.1.2 Professional skills………………………………………………………….37
4.1.1.3 Personal characteristics ……………………………………………………40
4.1.1.4 Social behavior …………………………………………………………….41
4.1.2 Questionnaire Data ………………………………………………………….42
4.1.2.1 Teachers’ perceptions ……………………………………………………..42
4.1.2.2 Students’ perceptions ……………………………………………………..43
4.2. Discussions …………………………………………………………………...45
4.2.1 Comparison between teachers’ perceptions and students’ perceptions ……..45

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4.2.2 Comparison of teachers’ and students’ perceptions and the government’s
official requirements ……………………………………………………………...50

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS ………………………..51
5.1 Summary of the findings ………………………………………………………51
5.2 Implications ……………………………………………………………………52
5.3 Limitations of the present study ……………………………………………….55
REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………...57
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................59

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale
Any teacher, particularly a VEL one, would like to become a good language
teacher in the eyes of students and colleagues. However, what makes a good VEL
teacher? Do teachers and students have the same or different perceptions about the
qualities of a good VEL teacher? Those questions are part of the reasons that urges
the researcher to carry out this study.
As a VEL teacher at high school, the researcher trusts that knowing the
desirable qualities of a good VEL is actually essential. Teachers may employ those
qualities as standards to evaluate themselves and their teaching performance.
Teachers, therefore, can adjust their methods, strategies in order to teach more
effectively.
It is believed that VEL teachers expect to know what students consider as the
qualities of a good VEL teacher since students’ perceptions of good VEL teachers
can helps the latter improve the quality of language teaching. According to Riddell
(2001), students’ views are important in identifying a good teacher because they are
“a critical and discerning audience”, and, such as, teachers who can “respond to

their students’ personalities, attitudes, needs, and backgrounds” will become good
teachers (Riddell, 2001, p.12). Likewise, to know colleagues’ conceptions towards
the attributes of a good VEL teacher is greatly important because it may help VEL
teachers have a more insightful view about the portrait of a good VEL teacher. It is
also believed that discovering similarities and discrepancies in the teachers’ and
students’ views can help VEL teacher in high schools have appropriate solutions to
improve the quality of language teaching and learning.
In Vietnam, there have been few studies on the qualities of a good EFL
teacher eventhough the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam has issued a
specific instruction for evaluating the qualities of a good VEL teacher in high
schools. The evaluation of a good English teacher just relies on the criteria for
evaluating good teachers, in general, such as teachers’ performance in the

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classroom, teachers’ execution on professional regulations and administrative rules,
as well as teachers’ morality. It is hoped that this study may delineate a more
detailed picture of a good VEL teacher and it may be a reference for the educational
authorities in assessing VEL teachers in high schools.
From the reasons above, the researcher carried out the present study with the
expectations to find out the necessary attributes to constitute a good VEL teacher,
and discover the similarities as well as the differences in the eyes of teachers and
students about the qualities of good VEL teachers. As a result, this study may
provide Vietnamese high school EL teachers with practical implications to enhance
teaching and learning activities.
1.2. Aims of study
The aims of this research were to gain insight into high school teachers’ and
students’ perceptions of a good VEL teacher to (1) identify qualities constituting a
good EFL teacher and (2) examine whether or not there are differences in the views

of teachers and students towards the attributes of a good VEL teacher.
1.3 Scope of the study
Based on the theoretical background and the high school context, the
researcher hypothesized that the qualities of a good VEL teacher perceived from
teachers’ and students’ views would belong to four main aspects: (1) knowledge, (2)
professional skills, (3) personal characteristics and (4) social behavior. It was also
hypothesized that there were discrepancies in the perceptions of teachers and
students about the attributes of a good VEL teacher, The study was conducted
among high school students who were 16-17 years old. They were in grade 10 and
11.
1.4 Research questions
1. What are the qualities of a “good VEL teacher” in the eyes of EFL
Vietnamese learners?
2. What are the qualities of a “good VEL teacher” in the eyes of EFL
Vietnamese teachers?

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3. Are there any mismatches between the teachers’ and students’ perceptions
of a “good VEL teacher” and requirements stated in the official document
792/BGDĐT-NGCBQLGD ?
1.5 Thesis organization
The present thesis comprises five chapters: (1) Introduction, (2) Literature
Review, (3) Research Methodology, (4) Findings and Discussions, (5) Conclusion
and Implications.
Chapter One presents the rationale of the study in which the researcher
introduced the reasons for the study including the expectation to know what makes
a good VEFL teacher, and whether there are discrepancies in the teachers’ and
students’ perceptions about the qualities of a good VEFL teacher, and the fact that

there have been very few studies on the attributes of good EFL teachers in Vietnam.
This chapter then introduces general information of the current study.
Chapter Two reviews literature concerned with the qualities of good teachers
in general and the qualities of a good EFL teacher in particular. The chapter also
describes the gaps in previous studies which urge the researcher to carry out this
study.
Chapter Three describes the research methodology of the study including
research questions, research aims, research design, and participants. The
instruments and procedure for data collection as well as an explanation of how to
analyze the data are also included.
Chapter Four shows the findings of the study about the essential qualities
constituting a good VEL teacher. It also presents the similarities and the
discrepancies in teachers’ and students’ perceptions of a good VEL teacher. The
discussions about the obtained results of the study appear in this chapter as well.
Chapter Five summarizes the main results of the study in the light of
theoretical background and hypotheses made. It discusses the implications of the
findings related to evaluating VEL teachers and improving EFL teaching and
learning activities in Vietnamese high school context. The limitations of the present

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study and suggestions for further research are respectively presented at the end of
this chapter.

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CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Definitions of key terms

2.1.1 Perception
In previous studies, the word “perception” is used as the synonym of a
number of terms as “conception” (Pratt, 1992; Gow & Kember, 1993; Zhang, 2007;
Kadha, 2009), “belief” (e.g., Pajares, 1992), “personal theory” (Fox, 1983;
Ramsden, 1992), “cognition” (Beishuizen et al., 2001).
There are many ways to define the term “perception”. In this research, the
researcher adopts the definition provided by Jordan & Jordan (1989), “perception is
the term that refers to the human ability to process, interpret and attribute meaning
to the information received via the sensory system i.e. seeing, hearing, smelling,
tasting, and touching (p. 332). Also, according to these authors, the term
“perception” is used to refer to a person’s perceptual experiences at a higher level of
information processing. In other words, one processes, interprets and reacts to the
information which he or she received, based on his or her sensory stimulation.
2.1.2 Qualities
Although there have been various interpretations of qualities, this current
study uses the term to refer to features, characteristics, attributes or traits of a good
VEFL teacher.
2.1.3 Teacher
According Jeremy Harmer, Teacher is the person who has the ability to adopt
a number of different roles in the class, depending on what the students are doing.
If, for example, the teacher always acts as a controller, standing at the front of the
class, dictating everything that happens and being the focus of attention, there will
be little chance for students to take much responsibility for their own learning, in
other words, for them to have agency. Being a controller may work for grammar
explanation and other information presentation, for instance, but it is less effective
for activities where students are working together cooperative on a project, for
example. In such situations teachers need to be prompters, encouranging students,

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pushing them to achieve more, feeding in a bit of information or language to help
them proceed. At other times, teachers may need to act as feedback providers
(helping students to evaluate their performance) or as assessors (telling students
how well they have done or giving them grades,etc). Teachers also need to be able
to fuction as a resource when students need to consult us and, at times, as a
language tutor (that is, an advisor who responds to what the student is doing and
advises them on what to do next).
2.1.4 Native English teachers vs. non-native English teachers
Learners in Cheung’s (2002) Hong Kong study (n=420) reported that NETs
had better oral skills, greater vocabulary, and insight into “Western” (presumably
British, Australasian and North American) culture. On the other hand, their lexicogrammatical knowledge was deficient and they struggled to explain complex
constructions. In addition, some teachers lacked understanding of language teaching
methodology. Similar findings emerged from Mahboob’s (2003) study of 32 L2
learners in an intensive English program in the USA. Conversely, the non-NETs
were valued for their own experience as language learners, their use of strict
methodology and their work ethic; however, they were perceived as having weaker
oral skills and less cultural insight than their native-speaker counterparts.
2.2 English language teaching
2.2.1 EFL versus L1 contexts
It is a good idea for sure to use English most of the time; however,
teachers should also know that they should not feel guilty while using L1 when it
is really necessary and appropriate to do so. The situation might also be in the
opposite way, that is, the teachers might be counting too much on L1, which
provides less amount of target language input. The instructors used L1 most for
rapport building purposes, making the topic/meaning clear (by giving examples,
explaining, making extra explanations, etc.), explaining difficult concepts or
ideas, etc. However, they used it least for the purpose of talking about something
that is not related to course; confirming students’ understanding; conflict

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management; discussing course policies, attendance and other administrative
information; transition from one topic to the other (OK, well, now, let’s ….); and
helping students find the correct answers for the questions & activities in for the
tasks in their textbooks. It was also found out that both the instructors and the
students were aware of the importance of using the target language as much as
possible in the classes, however, they could not deny the need of mother tongue
from time to time. Both the instructors and students were satisfied about the
amount of L1 use in their classes. (Paker.T, 2005)
2.2.2 EFL versus L1 teachers
According Paker’study, teachers are able to see the circumstances in which
the others use L1, and have better understanding regarding the role of L1 in their
classes. The target language used as much as possible should be the goal of every
foreign language teacher, however, the use of the students’ L1 might also be
necessary from time to time, so it should not be a taboo for them. Teachers may
have some awareness to how much and for which functions some teachers feel the
necessity of using L1 in their classes. They might find some solutions for some of
the functions for which L1 is used, and thus, teachers can use more of the target
language, which will lead to more target language communication in their classes.
2.3 Non-native English teachers in EFL contexts
2.3.1 Overview
The place of native and non-native speakers in the role of English teachers
has probably been an issue ever since English was taught internationally. There is a
growing interest in the field of the professional development of non-native English
teachers (NNETs) within teacher education programs (Braine, 1999; Carnagarajah,
1999). Since context is a powerful variable in shaping people’s perspectives and
experiences, this research primarily aims to explore the similarities and differences
in self-perceptions, challenges, and needs of non-native speaking teacher learners in

teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). It helps me to gain a better global
understanding of non-native English speaking teacher issues.

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2.3.2 Advantages and disadvantages of being a non-native English teacher
Ellis (2002) points out that the characteristic of learning experience is only
significant if the experience is accessible and useful to teachers to draw upon
during their teaching. For instance, they have learned the grammar, unlike native
English teacher who may have acquired it unconsciously. Ellis further confirms
that NES know what “sounds right”, but maybe unable to explain it in the
classroom. These abilities of NNES come under labels such as “language
awareness,” “meta linguistic awareness,” and “sensitivity to the language.” In her
later study (2006, cited in Moussu & Llurda, 2008), Ellis reiterates that a good
language teacher in addition to mastering a combination of linguistic, pedagogical
and methodological skills will need to have experienced the process of acquiring
and using a new language in order to understand students‟ learning process and
experiences.
Arva & Medgyes (2000) and Barratt & Kontra (2002) cited in (Moussu &
Llurda, 2008, p. 322) confirm that a unique advantage NNES teachers have over
NES teachers is that they can empathize very well with their students‟ learning
difficulties and understand what is to be homesick and to experience culture shock.
NNES teachers are also admired by their students because they are successful role
models and are often very motivated.
A study by Modiano (1999, cited in Moussu & Llurda, 2008, p. 318),
argues that regarding English as an international language, it may even be claimed
that many NNES of English are more communicatively efficient speakers of
English in international contexts than a great deal of NES. In other words, many
so-called NES can be far less intelligible in global settings than well-educated

proficient speakers of a second language.
In a comparative study on NES and NNES English teachers in Kamhi-Stein,
Aagard, Ching, Paik, & Sasser (2004, p. 92, cited in Braine, 2010, p. 23), listening
was the highest self-rated skill, while pronunciation was the lowest rated. One
respondent stated that NNES teachers are afraid that they will make mistakes when

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they speak. Vocabulary skills were the second area of difficulty.
Reves & Medgyes (1994, cited in Braine, 2010, p. 28 and Moussu and Llurda,
2008, p. 322) found that the NNES English teachers were sacrificing the
communicative language teaching for the sake of accuracy and more formal
features of English. Similar results were found in Samimy & Brutt-Griffler‟s
(1999) subjects, who also perceived NNES English teachers as relying on
textbooks, which suggests a lack of innovation and creativity in the classroom as
well as preparation for examinations instead of learning for communication.
A growing number of studies on language attitudes have examined
students‟ attitudes towards the non -native accents of foreign-born teachers and
instructors. These studies have shown that teachers with foreign accents are
perceived by parents and students to be less intelligent compared with teachers
without foreign accents (Nelson, 1991; Solomon, 1991, cited in Butler, 2007, p.
734).
2.4 Perceptions a good teacher’s qualities
Within the scope of the present study, perception about qualities of a good
EFL teacher can be interpreted as someone’s belief of the characteristics which
make a teacher who teaches English as a foreign language do the teaching well and
benefit students’ learning activity. Therefore, the existing literature has used some
synonyms of the word “good” as descriptors of desirable teacher qualities. These
synonyms were “effective” (e.g., Wringe, 1989; Cullingford, 1995; Hay-McBer,

2000), “excellent” (e.g., Vallance, 2003; Kane et al., 2004), and “competent” (e.g.,
Hustler & McIntyre, 1996).
A good EFL teacher has characteristics of a good teacher in general;
therefore, it is necessary to consider the qualities of a good teacher first. Thus, what
qualities should a good teacher possess? To interpret the essential qualities of a
good teacher is a difficult undertaking (Korthagen, 2004). From various viewpoints,
the attributes making someone become a good teacher are different.
2.4.1 Western views

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The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) reported 15
characteristics of good teachers in two categories: (1) management and instructional
techniques, (2) personal characteristics (Demmon-Berger, 1986).
To further this argument, Kutnick and Jules’s (1993) conducted research on
pupils’ perceptions of a good teacher. The participants were primary and secondary
school students aged between 7 and 17. The researchers identified that qualities of a
good EFL teacher were classified into five categories:
1. Physical and personal characteristic of the teacher (e.g. teacher should
have a good outlook and display good manners)
2. Quality of the relationship between teacher and pupils (e.g. a good teacher
was expected to be “kind and caring”, “nice and friendly”, and “not be
discriminatory”)
3. Control of behavior by the teacher, which meant that the teacher is able to
maintain discipline in class even though that would mean punishment to
students.
4. Descriptions of the teaching process (i.e. the teacher is able to organize
interesting classroom activities, encourage students in learning tasks, give
appropriate amount of homework and plan for learning development )

5. And the expected educational and life outcomes that the pupils may obtain
through the teacher’s efforts (i.e. students think that the teacher should
provide good education for them, and good academic results as well).
Also, Kutnick and Jules’ (1993) study showed that students’ perceptions
varied depending on their age. Differences in pupils’ focus when perceiving good
teachers were identified as follows:
Younger pupils focused on appearance, subject taught, and assertion of
physical punishment. Mid-aged pupils focus on the range of classroom control used
by teachers (including distributive and retributive punishments), actions involved in
the teaching process, and growing awareness of the individual needs of pupils.
Oldest pupils understood that good teachers must be well trained and highly

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motivated, should be sensitive and responsive to the needs of pupils, draw the pupils
into the learning process, and have a major responsibility in preparing the pupil for
the world of work and further education (Kutnick & Jules, 1993, p. 400).
This is one of very little research that has studied the differences in terms of
age and length of schooling experience, which is able to “provide developmental
insights into pupils perceptions of a good teacher” (Kutnick & Jules, 1993, p. 402).
Likewise, a study on students’ and teachers’ beliefs about good teachers in the
Netherlands by Beishuizen et al. (2001) involved students of different age groups
(7, 10, 13, and 16 years of age) and primary and secondary school teachers in the
task of writing an essay on the good teacher. The researchers collected essays from
teachers and students and then analyzed to compare the similarities and differences
in the perceptions of the participant groups. The results of the study indicated that
primary school pupils perceived good teachers basically as competent instructors,
focusing on transmitting knowledge and skills. Secondary school students paid
much attention to relational aspects of good teachers, which was similar to the

teachers’ perceptions of establishing personal relationship with their students.
Hence, the discrepancies in the perceptions of secondary school students and
teachers were smaller than that between primary school pupils and teachers.
Relating to the discrepancies between teachers’ and students’ perceptions about
good teacher characteristics, an earlier research was developed in 1993 by Lang et
al. The researchers asked 167 participants including administrators, chairpersons,
college teachers, and students to identify and rank three characteristics which are
selected from a given list of 32 characteristics considered important to teaching. The
finding of this study showed that the teachers rates characteristics significantly
different from the students. Specifically, students emphasized the characteristics
including knowledge of world events and knowing student ability and teaching
them in ways which they learn best, whereas teachers focus much on characteristics
including knowing the subject well and encouraging students to learn
independently.

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A good teacher should possess several characteristics, such as organization
and communication (Cullingford, 1995). Organization referred to the quality of
managing a classroom, with good preparation, clear rules and expectations,
attention to detail, the best use of the classroom facilities, as well as knowing when
to teach the class as a whole, in groups, or individually. Regarding the
communication, it meant the quality of interest in other people, especially students,
and the ability to demonstrate that interest through ideas and stories. Thus,
according to Cullingford (1995) the classroom practice items were highly necessary
to an effective teacher.
In spite of sharing the same ideas with lots of writers (e.g., Bernhardt &
Hammadou, 1987; Molllica & Nuessel, 1996; Lowman, 1996; Freeman & Johnson,
1998; Witcher et al., 2001) about a number of attributes that make up the essence of

a good teacher such as sound subject knowledge, proper pedagogical knowledge
and social- skills, Kottler and Zehm (2000) emphasized that the essential qualities
of the best teachers were: charisma, compassion, egalitarianism, sense of humor,
and additional desirable traits (e.g., smarts, creativity, honesty, emotional stability,
patience, ability to challenge and motivate, and novelty). These authors also argued
that a teacher’s responsibility “involves so much more than presenting the course
content or making sure of the students’ getting high score on achievement tests.
Being a teacher is a way of life” (Kottler & Zehm, 2000, p. 20).
More recently, 94 characteristics of effective teachers were identified in the
study of Koutsoulis (2003), which was carried out with the participation of 25 high
school students in Cyprus. The result of this study showed that 94 characteristics
were classified into three categories: personal qualities such as the ability to
understanding students and teacher friendliness; communication characteristics such
as having good relationship with students; and teaching and production
characteristics such as the ability to make lessons interesting and motivating, and
the teacher’s knowledge of the subject matter. Also, this study found that students at
different achievement levels had different views about the characteristics of

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effective teachers. The low achievement students endorsed more teacher personal
qualities and communication characteristics while the high achievement students
laid much weight on teaching and production characteristics.
In sum, studies on good teacher qualities summarized above suggested that
some of these qualities were universal, that other quality were group-dependent and
that numerous qualities could be classified into four categories: knowledge
(including subject matter knowledge and general knowledge); professional skills
(e.g., teaching method, classroom management); personal characteristics (e.g.,
enthusiasm, friendliness, patience, sense of humor, creativity, etc.); and

communication characteristics or social behavior (e.g., ability to communicate with
students and to handle teacher-student relation). Noticeably, these characteristics
were rated differently depending group endorsement such as teachers and students,
older and younger students, high achievement and low achievement students.
2.4.2 Eastern views
Confucius, a famous Chinese scholar, believed that a good teacher should
teach with endless zeal and should teach students in accordance with their aptitude
(cited in Zhang, 2007). Han Yu, one of the most celebrated litterateurs and
educators in Tang Dynasty in China wrote in his book Shi Shuo (On teachers):
“What is a teacher? A teacher is the one who shows you the way of being human,
teaches you knowledge and enlightens you while you are confused” (Z. Liu, 1973,
cited in Gao & Watkins, 2001, p. 461). Thus, it can be argued that good teachers in
China should not only promote students’ intellectual development, but also enhance
their moral behavior. Likewise, the qualities of good teachers in Vietnam are
believed to manifest in two aspects: knowledge and conduct. Ho Chi Minh (2000)
said that teachers need to train both talent (tài) and virtue (đức). Talent is
knowledge, skill; and virtue is political conduct. He also suggested that teachers
should be good examples for students to follow.
With respect to the perceptions of a good teacher held by Eastern people,
there have been very few relevant studies. One study on Chinese students’ views

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about a good teacher conducted by Szalay, Strohl, Fu, and Lao (1994) indicated that
the students tended to view their teacher in terms of authority, esteem and respect.
The survey also found that Chinese students not only considered their teachers as
transmitters of knowledge, but also as “an idealized role model, a resource for
solving all types of human problems, and a model for lifestyle as well” (p. 245).
In the same way, Cortazzi and Jin (1996b) investigated 135 Chinese

university students in Tianjin about their perceptions of good teachers by asking
them to write essays on this topic. The result of this investigation was: 67% of the
students preferred a good teacher to have deep knowledge or a similar phrase, 25%
of them thought that a good teacher is patient, 23.7% is humorous, and 21.5% is a
good moral example and shows friendliness.
In Vietnam, the portrait of a good teacher is more or less characterized based
on Confucian thinking. That means teachers should teach their students not only
knowledge but also the way of thinking and the attitude towards life. Specially, in
feudal society, Vietnamese students often lived in teachers’ family to study;
therefore, teachers and students had a very close relationship. The relationship
between teachers and students is similar to that of fathers and sons. Teachers played
the role of parents to teach, to love and to take care of their students as well.
Nowadays, though the role of teachers has changed, a good teacher is still
considered as a “kind mother” or a “good father” (cô giáo như mẹ hiền- Vietnamese
idiom). Somewhere, Confusion ideology keeps influencing Vietnamese education.
A good teacher is supposed to love and to have responsibility to students, and to
maintain classroom discipline; thus, it is certain that every good teacher in Vietnam
is aware of the slogan given by Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam:
“Dân chủ - Kỷ cương - Tình thương - Trách nhiệm - Trung thực” (Democracy Discipline - Love - Responsibility - and Honesty). Besides, to keep up with the
effective pedagogical methods, Vietnamese teachers are also expected to use
various pedagogical strategies in accordance with students’ different capacities and

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needs, to promote students’ activeness and creativeness, to be fair and honest in
student assessment in order to motivate student learning.
It can be seen from the above discussion, Eastern perceptions considered
“moral role model” and “conduct guidance” as prerequisites to an accomplished
teachers because students go to school to “study manners first, and then learn to

read and write” (“Tiên học lễ, hậu học văn”- Vietnamese idiom). Besides, having
deep knowledge and effective teaching method, maintaining good teacher-student
relationship are also crucial qualities of a good teacher. In addition, it could be
argued that Eastern ideas focus more on teacher personal qualities such as patient,
friendly, kind, caring against Western views which appreciate academic and
professional knowledge.
2. 5 Perceptions of a good EFL teacher’s qualities
Good teachers of various subjects are likely to share certain qualities in
common. However, there may be specific characteristics that belong to teachers of a
particular subject such as a foreign language subject (Hammadou & Bernhardt,
1987; Peck, 1988). In Western literature, it is common to find identified qualities of
good foreign language teachers in general. Narrower focus on EFL teachers only
seems to be rare. However, there is research (e.g., Borg, 2006) conducted to
characterize the good general foreign language teachers by examining the teachers
in the field of TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language). In Eastern literature,
only a dearth of studies (e.g., Richards, Tung & Ng, 1992; Brosh, 1996; Ng, 2003;
Park & Lee, 2006) have been conducted to identify the characteristics of good EFL
teachers. Therefore, in the present research, literature on qualities of both good
foreign language teachers and good EFL teachers were reviewed.
2. 5.1 Western views
To carry out the study on the good teaching practice, The Language
Teaching Centre of the University of York had some intensive longitudinal
observation of nine competent foreign language teachers. The research team
identified that some certain attributes such as “involve the whole group”, “be skilled

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with equipment”, “convey enthusiasm for the subject”, “explain tasks clearly”, and
“convey warmth through facial expression” (Sanderson, 1983) were commonly

shared by all the teachers observed. However, these attributes can be applied to a
good teacher of any subject. Only four attributes identified were unique to foreign
language teachers including provide a variety of language activity, engage in
intensive oral exploitation of materials, use the foreign language predominantly, and
promote use of the foreign language by the pupils.
Previously, a research was conducted by asking a thousand French school
pupils of different age groups to make a list of the qualities of a good foreign
language teacher (Girard, 1977). As a result, ten descriptors were found to be the
best qualities of a good language teacher are:
1. The good language teacher makes his course interesting.
2. He teaches a good pronunciation.
3. He explains clearly.
4. He speaks good English.
5. He shows the same interest in all the pupils.
6. He makes them participate.
7. He shows great patience
8. He insists on the spoken language
9. He makes pupils work.
10. He uses an audio-visual method.
It can be seen that the above general statements could apply to teachers of
any subjects, but statements 2, 4 and 8 are specifically for describing EFL teachers.
In the studies of foreign language teacher education, many researchers have
discussed effective teacher characteristics because the role of teacher education is to
produce quality teachers (Bernhardt & Hammadou, 1987; Freeman& Johnson,
1998; Vélez-Rendón, 2002). The discussion has been centered on teacher’s
knowledge which included the subject matter knowledge and the pedagogical
knowledge. According to Rendón (2002) the subject matter knowledge is defined as

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what teachers know about what they teach; and pedagogical knowledge as what
teachers know about teaching their subjects. In other words, the subject matter
knowledge in foreign language education refers to target language proficiency in
many cases; meanwhile pedagogical knowledge relates to second/foreign language
acquisition theories, teaching methods and testing. Actually, foreign language
proficiency has been considered a prerequisite for good foreign language teachers.
In other words, when teachers were proficient at foreign language, they could use
the target language in class, personalize lessons according to students’ background,
and facilitate effective lesson planning (Buchmann, 1984b). Nevertheless, foreign
language proficiency only cannot help teachers transmit knowledge effectively to
learners. It is the view of some researchers that teachers should be equipped with
germane pedagogical knowledge (Shulman, 1986; Vélez-Rendón, 2002). From
Shulman’s (1986) view, pedagogical knowledge included ideas, concepts,
analogies, explanations and demonstrations used to make the subject matter
comprehensible to students. Thus, it can be seen from Shulman’s argument that to
have a grasp of teaching methods and to be wise in applying pedagogical
knowledge into practice are essential qualities to good language teachers.
In 1991, Prodromou also explored foreign language students’ views of good
and bad language teachers. The survey found some of the characteristics of the good
language teachers as being friendly, giving good notes, organizing group work,
playing games, and telling jokes. Whereas some qualities like being strict, being
dominant in speaking, giving students a text to learn and check it, and giving marks
all the time are considered to belong to bad language teachers.
Also, another study outlined the traits of good language teachers as follows:
professional training ability such as effective instructional techniques, language
proficiency such as four skills fluency and cultural comprehension of the target
language, command of instructional materials such as visual and audio materials,
grasp of evaluation such as assessment of students and professional testing, and

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