Students' perceptions of English second language teachers and teaching

Abstract

Teaching is a dynamic process involving teachers and students in meaningful, collaborative efforts. Listening to students' perceptions or beliefs of what good ESL teaching and good ESL teachers are, is vital to the teacher in order to enhance the teaching-learning process. The purpose of this research is to determine what selected ESL students from grade 8-12, in the Gauteng province, believe good ESL teaching and a good ESL teacher is. The results indicated that there were various aspects that were important to the students. The results can be divided into three sections: • Characteristics of good teaching • Personality-related characteristics; and • The role of teachers in the ESL classroom. The results indicated that a well-prepared teacher was important to the students. They, furthermore, felt that the way in which the teacher presents the lesson made them excited and motivated concerning the subject matter: Humor, the teacher portraying the lesson in an enthusiastic way, and a caring teacher proved to enhance the learning process. Students, both lower and upper grades, enjoyed being in a class where they felt comfortable with their environment and the teacher. The role of the teacher was identified by the students as imparting knowledge in a clear and concise way, the teacher being a motivator, and the teacher fulfilling the role of maintainer of discipline. It is, therefore, essential that the teacher takes cognisance of the students' perceptions of ESL teaching/teachers in order to enhance the teaching-learning process in the ESL classroom.