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University Students Perceptions of An Ideal English Teacher Before and During The COVID 19 Pandemic A Study
University Students Perceptions of An Ideal English Teacher Before and During The COVID 19 Pandemic A Study
To cite this article: Sakul Kundra, Nakul Kundra & Awadhesh Kumar Shirotriya
(2023) University students’ perceptions of an ideal English teacher before and during
the COVID-19 pandemic: A study, Cogent Arts & Humanities, 10:1, 2245623, DOI:
10.1080/23311983.2023.2245623
1. Introduction
This survey study aims to determine how online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic affected
students’ perception of an ideal English teacher. The onset of the pandemic marked a sudden
change in the education system; classroom teaching came to a sudden halt, and the mode of
instruction was forced to switch from offline to online. Many students, as well as teachers,
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribu
tion, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on
which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in
a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
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struggled to get used to the new system for a long time. The teacher’s physical presence was
replaced with his/her virtual existence on different online platforms. The worldwide outbreak of
COVID-19 affected approximately 1.6 billion students in over 200 countries, and educational
institutes and learning spaces were closed, affecting more than 94% of the world’s student
population (Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). Juárez-Díaz and Perales (2021) report that, during the
COVID-19 phase, the majority of teachers and all students had unfavourable views, which were
related to certain faculty members’ emphasis on delivering information without engagement and
with limited internet access.
Being an English teacher in India, the second author has always been keen to know his students’
perceptions of an ideal English teacher. He carried out a survey study titled “Students” Perception of
an Ideal English Teacher” as a part of his dissertation work, submitted for the degree of M.A.
(Education) in 2019, i.e., before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants of this
study were the students enrolled in the Department of English of DAV University in Jalandhar
(Punjab, India) in the session 2018–19. The data regarding the personal, social, and professional
characteristics of an ideal English teacher was gathered using a closed-ended questionnaire that
was created in consideration of the students’ brief descriptive views on the characteristics of an ideal
English teacher. The researcher re-conducted the same survey study on the students enrolled in the
same Department in the session 2020–21, i.e., during the pandemic. This article compares the data
collected before the pandemic and the data collected during the pandemic to draw conclusions
regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the student’s perception of an ideal English teacher.
Notably, the pandemic clearly affected the education sector across the world to a great extent.
(1) the views of the students of the Department of English, DAV University (Jalandhar), regard
ing some social, personal, and professional aspects of an ideal English teacher.
(2) the effects of the pandemic situation on the students’ perceptions of an ideal English
teacher.
4. Research questions
(1) According to the students of the Department of English, DAV University (Jalandhar), what
are the personal, social, and professional qualities of an ideal English teacher?
(2) How has the COVID-19 pandemic situation affected the students’ perceptions of an ideal
English teacher?
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reading and writing skills. On the other hand, it is seen that learning a second language in informal
contexts suffers a severe setback due to the lack of exposure to all the skills of that target
language in day-to-day socio-cultural situations. It may be said that informal learning is arbitrary,
asymmetrical, and unplanned, and importantly, all four skills of any language cannot be excelled
in informal contexts.
A language teacher facilitates and systematically provides opportunities for learning in a graded
manner. Keeping in view learners’ social and professional needs, he/she converts “information”
into knowledge and facilitates learning. He/she consistently evaluates learners’ progress and
ensures their overall development. Typically, high-quality teaching is defined by practices that
are associated with successful outcomes for learners and test scores (Cochran-Smith & Fries,
2001). Students’ ideas and views regarding the ideal teacher are of paramount importance
because students constantly judge teachers and their teaching and make opinions about them
during and after the learning process. Moreover, they are directly influenced by both outstanding
and bad teaching (Follman, 1995).
Kozikoğlu (2017) studies how future education professionals describe the ideal teacher and
asserts that the first three cognitive categories attached to the ideal teacher are teaching peda
gogical skills, humaneness/joviality, and professional content knowledge. Ida (2017) looks at
secondary school students’ perceptions of a good teacher and argues that they want teachers
who put in a lot of effort in assisting students with their learning. Furthermore, in their beliefs,
personal attention, dealing with the issues of pupils, fair treatment, and showing respect for one
another take priority.
Jannah (2019), on the basis of a study conducted at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang,
states that effective ESP (English for Specific Purposes) lecturers have four characteristics: 1)
educational awareness, 2) organisation and communication skills, 3) social and emotional skills, 4)
English proficiency. Megawati (2019) analyses the data collected from 222 students in the fifth
semester in the English Language Education Department at the University of Muhammadiyah
Malang (ELED UMM) and claims that the students give more importance to an English teacher’s
pedagogic competence than his/her personal competence. Urazaliyeva and Kassymova (2018)
argue that the students consider psychological abilities—whereas the teachers consider English
fluency—to be the most important trait of an ideal ELT instructor. Chomaeva and Kubanova (2019)
assert that the students see genuine pedagogical engagement negatively and desire greater
gentleness, happiness, and good emotions from engaging teachers. Barnett (2019) collects infor
mation about the qualities of high-quality teachers from a deliberate sample of people who have
been identified as such by their principals. According to the study, high-quality teachers employ
a variety of tactics that are carefully chosen in light of pupil needs and learning. Self-confidence
and speaking style of teachers, Saini et al. (2019) finds, have the maximum effect on teaching
(92.7% and 86.5%, respectively) in the personal area; in the professional domain, clarification of
doubts (86.5%) was the most crucial factor affecting teaching, followed by the method of teaching
(85.5%); the experience of teachers (86.4%) affects teaching the most, followed by the mastery of
scientific concepts and materials (84.4%) in the scientific area. Ghimire (2019) claims that effective
English language instruction requires dynamic teachers, active and creative learners, effective use
of teaching-learning materials, proper use of the latest technologies, and multiliteracy pedagogy in
the classroom. In secondary schools in Cross River State, Nigeria, Robert and Owan (2019) examine
students’ perceptions of teachers’ efficacy and learning outcomes in mathematics and economics.
They discover that students’ perceptions of teachers’ motivational abilities, instructional strategies,
rapport with students, and level of communication have a significant influence on their learning
outcomes.
Petrova et al. (2020) state that high subject mastery, the capacity to pique students’ interest in
academic material, cooperation with students, and objective knowledge assessment are identified
as the most crucial and preferred qualities of a modern teacher according to high school students.
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Positive personality traits include the teacher’s ability to communicate productively and gently
with each pupil and his/her high energy level. Students do not care about a teacher’s looks. The
respondents said it is crucial for a teacher to dress professionally and appear neat. Anggraini et al.
(2020) discusses students’ perceptions of the qualities of an ideal maritime English instructor in
a vocational institution. She asserts that the students view their teachers as ideal if they teach
both formal and informal English, incorporate games into their lessons, and set up group and
partner work activities. Additionally, the students favour those teachers who utilise technology and
visual aids to encourage linguistic exploration; conversely, they dislike teachers who talk exces
sively. Karima (2020) finds that according to the student teachers, cultural awareness, classroom
management, and effective communication skills are the most critical characteristics of effective
EFL teacher educators. Hien (2020) finds that exceptional instructional abilities and thorough
subject-matter knowledge are required for TEFL. Yazdanipour and Fakharzadeh (2020) looks at
how the administrators of certain private English language institutions in Iran see language
instructors’ effectiveness and comes to the conclusion that they place less importance on educa
tional issues and learning results. It is found that administrators place greater importance on
a teacher’s looks and personality than on several other job-related characteristics. Casta et al.
(2020) reveals language proficiency, organisation and communication skills, character and person
ality, pedagogical knowledge, socio-affective skills, IT/ICT abilities, and cultural competency are
the seven main theoretical constructs that sum up the traits Thai learners demand from their
language instructors.
Karim (2021) looks at the concept of successful EFL teacher educators from the viewpoints of
student teachers and teacher educators and finds that they view effective EFL teacher educators
in very different ways. The perceptions of the three categories of attributes—subject matter
knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and organisation and communication skills—between stu
dent teachers and teacher educators differed significantly statistically. Between the teacher
educators and the student teachers, there was no statistically significant difference in how
they perceived socio-affective abilities. Huy (2022) discovers that EFL lecturers’ ability to execute
pedagogical, social, managerial, and technical roles affects their students’ online English learning
engagement. The research suggests that language instructors should receive extra training to
increase their flexibility in generating autonomy-supportive online activities and their digital
competence.
Since learning is a continuous process, teaching is a continuous process of striving for perfection.
A good teacher is flexible and innovative. He/she accommodates himself/herself to ever-changing
conditions and tries to give his/her best with available resources. A good teacher may show some
essential archetypal patterns, but there is no unanimity among researchers about the success or
effectiveness of a teacher (Harris et al., 1960).
Theoretically and practically, no teacher will become totally ideal. That correlation would
mean that the teacher has achieved such a level of perfection that she or he no longer
requires further effort toward improvement (Rusua et al., 2012, p. 1017)
The questionnaire used in this study outlines some important personal, social, and professional
aspects of an ideal English teacher based on the student participants’ descriptive views of the
characteristics of an ideal English teacher. The students broadly referred to the following aspects
in their descriptive accounts:
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Different studies explore students’ and/or teachers’ perceptions to find out the characteristics of
an ideal/effective teacher and teaching. There is the unavailability of comparative research based
on pre- and during- pandemic data about students’ perceptions of an ideal English teacher’s
personal, social, and professional aspects. The present research is innovative and attempts to
fill in a lacuna in the area of study.
6.2. Population
The population is the students enrolled in the Department of English of DAV University, Jalandhar,
in the sessions 2018–19 and 2020–21. Eighty-four students participated in the survey in 2019,
whereas eighty students took part in the survey in 2021.
6.3. Sample
The second author was the Coordinator of the Department of English of DAV University, Jalandhar,
at the time of the surveys. So, the population was conveniently available. This is a case of
incidental/convenient sampling. The study involved all the students who were willing to participate
in the research.
6.4. Tools
The following tools are used: i. Paper and Pen ii. Electronic platform. To understand what the
students mean by “an ideal English teacher”, the students enrolled in 2018–19 were asked to write
an essay on “Characteristics of an ideal English teacher”. Their responses were categorised into
general descriptive categories and further used to develop a close-ended questionnaire. This
questionnaire was used in 2019 as well as 2021 to collect the data. In 2019, the responses were
collected manually, whereas the responses were collected on Google Forms in 2021.
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7.1. Observation 7.1: Dress sense, physical looks/features, gender and age
During the pandemic, the percentage of students who believed that a teacher’s dress sense was
not important at all exponentially increased from 17.85 percent to 41.3 percent (Ref. Table 1).
While teaching on virtual platforms like Google Meet and Zoom, it is observed that the teacher
mostly projects his/her face and the area around the shoulders on the screen. Hence, his/her dress
does not remarkably influence his/her students to have an opinion about him/her in the online
mode of teaching. Similarly, a teacher’s looks seem to have more influence in the face-to-face
physical mode of teaching than the virtual mode. The percentage of students who opined that the
teacher’s looks/physical features were not imperative to make an opinion of his/her personality
increased from 50 percent to 61.3 percent during the pandemic. It is found that the physical
teaching mode helps the teacher build rapport with his/her students through effective verbal and
non-verbal communication. On the other hand, non-verbal messages through eyes (Oculesics),
touch (Haptics), and facial gestures, especially microexpressions (Kinesics), are not effectively
conveyed during online teaching. Besides, the 3D visual experience in the physical mode is livelier
and more engaging than the 2D image on the virtual platform.
According to the students, the teacher’s gender and age were irrelevant aspects (Ref. Tables 2 and 3).
Before and during the pandemic, more than 95 percent of the students reported that the gender of the
ideal teacher did not matter to them. Similarly, almost 80 percent of the students said that age was an
irrelevant aspect in this context; an ideal English instructor might be of any age. Before and after the
pandemic, the most popular age range was between 31 and 40. However, this range was selected by
less than 15 percent of the students.
Observation 1 strengthens the traditional Indian idea that the outer aspects of the knowledge
provider are not important at all; importance should be given to knowledge rather than the
knowledge provider (Guru). Kabir, a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint, says:
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Table 1. Dress sense and physical looks/features
Students’ Not Important (0–20) Slightly Important (21–40) Somewhat Important Very Important (61–80) Most Important (81–100)
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2245623
Responses in (41–60)
Percentage →
Kundra et al., Cogent Arts & Humanities (2023), 10: 2245623
Social and Before During Before During Before During Before During Before During
Professional COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19
Aspects
Dress Sense 17.85 41.3 35.71 27.5 35.71 18.8 10.71 10 0 2.5
Looks/Physical 50 61.3 29.76 21.3 19.04 8.8 0 7.5 1.19 1.2
Features
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The couplet implies that the sword is utilised in a battle, not the sheath that holds it. Similarly, the
knowledge of a sage is useful, not his caste or religion.
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Table 4. Emotional sensitivity and flexibility
Students’ Not Important (0–20) Slightly Important (21–40) Somewhat Important Very Important (61–80) Most Important (81–100)
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2245623
Responses in (41–60)
Percentage →
Kundra et al., Cogent Arts & Humanities (2023), 10: 2245623
Social and Before During Before During Before During Before During Before During
Professional COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19
Aspects
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Kabir emphasises that one’s worldly accomplishments and achievements do not make one great.
Humility lays the foundation for one’s greatness. According to Kabir, despite its height, the date
palm tree cannot provide shade to passers-by or visitors, nor can its fruit be collected easily.
Similarly, one’s worldly accomplishments and achievements are meaningless if one lacks compas
sion and genuine love.
As far as the teacher’s interactions with his/her students are concerned, the percentage of
students who opted for “the most important” and “very important” options slightly increased
from 55.94 percent to 58.8 percent (Ref. Table 5). It reveals that more than half of the participants
believe a teacher’s interactions with his/her students are considerably important in the online
mode as well as in the offline mode of teaching. For good teaching and learning to occur, there
must be positive teacher-student contact (Arthur et al., 2003b).
Chan (2018) explores Chinese pupils’ opinions on competent teachers and successful instruction.
Learners respect instructors’ admiration, concern, and cordial relationships with pupils in addition to
their instructional competence. Kabir goes so far as to put human love over worldly knowledge. He says,
Kabir thinks that not everyone becomes a scholar, even after reading a lot of books. According to
Kabir, a person will be a true scholar if he/she can read just “two and a half letters” of love, i.e.,
embrace human love and compassion.
The teacher serves as a guide, and his/her active participation was looked forward to throughout
the COVID-19 crisis. In times of uncertainty, the teacher was expected to show concern; during the
pandemic, the number of pupils who selected “the most important” or “very important” options for
the teacher’s expression of concern exponentially shot up from 27.33 percent to 70 percent (Ref.
Table 5). This augmented change in the percentage is the maximum change in the study.
As Sarason (1999) said, “the starting point of all learning is to know the minds and hearts of
your learners” (p.110) . . . The purposeful design of a teacher-student interactive learning
environment enhances the educational experience for students (Gablinske, 2014)
An effective English teacher should have a great rapport with his/her students; a strong student-
teacher relationship lays the foundation for effective learning. With regard to it, approximately
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Table 5. Interactions, relationships, availability and expectations
Students’ Not Important (0–20) Slightly Important (21–40) Somewhat Important Very Important (61–80) Most Important (81–100)
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2245623
Responses in (41–60)
Percentage →
Kundra et al., Cogent Arts & Humanities (2023), 10: 2245623
Social and Before During Before During Before During Before During Before During
Professional COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19
Aspects
Interaction with 19.04 12.5 26.19 21.3 26.19 31.3 19.04 23.7 9.52 11.3
Colleagues
Interaction with 2.38 7.5 9.52 7.5 32.14 26.2 45.23 41.3 10.71 17.5
Students Outside
the
Classroom
Show Care 16.66 1.3 28.57 2.5 27.38 26.3 19.04 52.5 8.33 17.5
Strong Student- 0 0 4.76 2.5 25 11.3 48.80 50 21.42 36.3
Teacher
Relationship
Availability for 7.14 3.8 21.42 18.8 36.90 30 26.19 33.8 8.33 13.7
Students Outside
the Classroom/
university
High Expectations 19.04 6.3 28.57 22.5 23.80 41.3 26.19 22.5 2.38 7.5
from All Students
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86 percent of the students chose “the most important” and “very important” options during the
pandemic, compared to approximately 70 percent before the outbreak (Ref. Table 5). During the
pandemic, when there was a global catastrophe, more students realised the importance of their
teachers’ s emotional support.
For more than 30 percent of the students, the teacher’s availability outside the classroom was
“somewhat important” prior to and during the pandemic (Ref. Table 5). The percentage of students
who considered this aspect to be “the most important” or “very important” went up from 34.52 to
47.5 percent. During the pandemic, the students anticipated their teacher to stay electronically or via
telephone contactable even after classes. The Guru Gita’s description of the guru as a “dispeller of
darkness” (verse 17) is accurate (from gu, “darkness” and ru, “that which dispels”). During hard times,
the students more keenly looked forward to his/her teacher’s guidance and emotional support.
“Having high expectations from all students” was not a very conspicuous aspect of an ideal
English teacher’s professional sphere of life before the pandemic. However, the percentage of
students who chose “not important” and “slightly important” options fell from 47.61 % to 28.8%
during the pandemic (Ref. Table 5). The most favourite option prior to and during the pandemic
was “somewhat important”; 23.80% of the pupils before the pandemic and 41.3% of the pupils
during the pandemic chose it. It is notable that higher expectations for student performance lead
to more favourable academic results (Rist, 1970).
7.4. Observation 7.4: Social media, familial background and brand awareness
The teacher’s familial and social background, brand awareness, and presence on social media do not
greatly influence how his/her students perceive him/her (Ref. Table 6). Regarding his/her presence on
social media sites, more than 72 percent of the students chose “not important” and “slightly
important” options before as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic; regarding his/her family and
social background, more than 90 percent of the students selected “not important” and “slightly
important” options before and during the global crisis; and regarding his/her brand consciousness,
more than 84 percent of the students opted for “not important” and “slightly important” options
before and during the pandemic. Therefore, these three aspects are not essential for an ideal English
teacher; they do not influence students’ perception of the teacher. Kabir, as stated earlier, also
disapproves of a Master’s/Guru’s outer aspects. In his poem “Pedigree”, Kabir says,
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Table 6. Social media, familial background and brand awareness
Students’ Not Important (0–20) Slightly Important (21–40) Somewhat Important Very Important (61–80) Most Important (81–100)
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2245623
Responses in (41–60)
Percentage →
Kundra et al., Cogent Arts & Humanities (2023), 10: 2245623
Social and Before During Before During Before During Before During Before During
Professional COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19
Aspects
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Table 7. Technology
Students’ Not Important (0–20) Slightly Important (21–40) Somewhat Important Very Important (61–80) Most Important (81–100)
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2245623
Responses in (41–60)
Percentage →
Kundra et al., Cogent Arts & Humanities (2023), 10: 2245623
Social and Before During Before During Before During Before During Before During
Professional COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19
Aspects
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technology could not be a deciding factor while assessing the professional aspects of an ideal
English teacher. Notably, there was not a single student who viewed the use of technology as “not
important” prior to the pandemic, when offline instruction was the norm.
Before and during the pandemic, more than 40 percent of the pupils opted for “the most
important” and “very important” options for the use of non-verbal communication by the ideal
English teacher (Ref. Table 8); approximately 30 percent of the students deemed this factor to
be “somewhat important”. During the pandemic, the percentage of students who considered
this factor to be “slightly important” declined by about 12 percent; more pupils were aware of
the significance of nonverbal communication prior to the pandemic.
Reading and listening skills are essential for an ideal English teacher in both digital and
conventional ways of instruction (Ref. Table 8). This view is supported by the data obtained
before and after the pandemic. Before and during the pandemic, at least 85 percent of the
learners selected “the most important” and “very important” options for listening and reading
skills.
During and after the pandemic, approximately 50 percent of the students considered “fluency” as
a significant professional trait (Ref. Table 8). Before the crisis, 44.04 percent of the students regarded
fluency to be “somewhat important”, while after the outbreak, 31.3 percent of the students held the
same opinion. It is notable that the quality of online communication also depends upon the internet
bandwidth; in the rural interiors where the internet connectivity is poor, it is difficult for students to
grasp the contents of a lecture delivered by a highly fluent teacher.
7.7. Observation 7.7: Doctorate, knowledge, punctuality and teaching skills, experience and
environment
According to around 30 percent of the students, before and during the pandemic, “having
a doctorate degree” and “having teaching experience” are “somewhat important” aspects of
an ideal English teacher’s professional sphere of life (Ref. Table 9). As regards a doctorate
degree, around 40 percent of the students selected “not important” and “slightly important”
options before and during the pandemic. In the case of teaching experience, around 35 percent
of the learners opted for “not important” and “slightly important” options before and during the
pandemic.
Prior to and during the pandemic, over 40 percent of the students considered “knowledge about
other subjects” to be “somewhat important” for an ideal English teacher (Ref. Table 9). It was their
‘most’ favourite choice. Both before and during the pandemic, more than 30 percent of the
students believed this professional aspect to be either “very important” or “most important”.
Seventy percent of the pupils considered timeliness either “very important” or “the most
important” for an ideal English instructor, prior to and during the pandemic (Ref. Table 9).
Disapproving procrastination, Saint Kabir also highlights the importance of punctuality. He says
the world may come to an end at any moment
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Table 8. Non-verbal communication, reading skills, listening skills, and fluency
Students’ Not Important (0–20) Slightly Important (21–40) Somewhat Important Very Important (61–80) Most Important (81–100)
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2245623
Responses in (41–60)
Percentage →
Kundra et al., Cogent Arts & Humanities (2023), 10: 2245623
Social and Before During Before During Before During Before During Before During
Professional COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19
Aspects
Use of Non-Verbal 1.19 3.8 29.76 17.5 27.38 33.8 28.57 35 13.09 10
Communication
Listening Skills 0 0 1.19 1.3 9.52 12.5 58.33 58.8 30.95 27.5
Reading Skills 0 0 1.19 1.3 7.14 13.8 52.38 52.5 39.28 32.5
Fluency 0 6.3 7.14 12.5 44.04 31.3 44.04 46.3 4.76 3.7
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Table 9. Doctorate, experience, knowledge, and punctuality
Students’ Not Important (0–20) Slightly Important (21–40) Somewhat Important Very Important (61–80) Most Important (81–100)
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2245623
Responses in (41–60)
Percentage →
Kundra et al., Cogent Arts & Humanities (2023), 10: 2245623
Social and Before During Before During Before During Before During Before During
Professional COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19
Aspects
Doctorate Degree 23.80 27.5 17.85 10 34.52 33.8 21.42 22.5 2.38 6.3
Teaching 16.66 13.8 16.66 21.2 32.14 28.7 25 20 9.52 16.2
Experience
Knowledge about 2.38 6.3 20.23 18.8 40.47 43.8 35.71 20 1.19 11.3
Other Subjects
Punctuality 1.19 2.5 7.14 6.2 22.61 22.5 51.19 42.5 17.85 26.2
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Kabir, while discussing the significance of time, advises that if you must complete a task tomorrow,
do it today, and if you must complete a task today, do it now since our lives are so short and will
end in a matter of moments. That is, if you do not act promptly, you will not be able to accomplish
your goals.
Prior to the pandemic, 65.47 percent of the pupils stated that an ideal English teacher would
teach English as a skill (Ref. Table 10). During the pandemic, however, the percentage of students
plummeted to 52.5%. Before and during the pandemic, “English via literature” was the second
most popular option; 21.42 percent of the students before the pandemic and 28.7 percent of the
students during the pandemic believed that an ideal English teacher taught English through
literature. There is a sudden increase of almost 15 percent of the students who opted for
“English as a Language”. Before and during the pandemic, over 60 percent of the pupils claimed
that the ideal English instructor should occasionally use the mother tongue in class (Ref. Table 11).
Always 2.38 5
Usually 21.42 25
Sometimes 65.47 61.3
Rarely 9.52 7.5
Never 1.19 1.2
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Prior to the pandemic, according to 76.19 percent of the pupils, the classroom environment of
the ideal English instructor should be student-centred (Ref. Table 12). During the pandemic, when
online learning was the modality of instruction, the number of students who chose “the student-
centred” choice decreased to 51.2%. There was a rapid increase in the proportion of students who
believed that the classroom should be centred on teaching aids.
88.09 percent of the students before the international health crisis and 71.3% of the
students during the crisis stated that the ideal English teacher had a serious attitude towards
the examination process; he/she adhered to all norms in spirit (Ref. Table 14). During the
COVID-19 survey, there was an abrupt increase (from 5.95 percent to 28.7 percent) in the
proportion of students who believed that the ideal instructor rigorously followed all examina
tion norms. Several students allegedly took unfair advantage of online exams by copying and
pasting answers and engaging in other unfair means. There was a shift in the perceptions of
a good number of pupils who desired the ideal teacher to be quite strict about the examination
procedure during the pandemic. 88.09 percent of the students before the pandemic and
75 percent of the students during it stated that an ideal English instructor opted for
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a balanced approach while evaluating; he/she is neither strict nor lenient while marking (Ref.
Table 15). The increase of almost 10% in the percentage of students who thought that the
ideal English teacher did lenient marking is notable.
8. Conclusion
While sharing their subjective views about an ideal English teacher individually, one or more
students randomly and erratically referred to the following significant/insignificant characteristics:
gender, age, dress sense, looks/physical features, sensitivity, flexibility, interactions with colleagues
and students, presence on social media, family and social background, brand consciousness,
availability outside the class, teaching skill and experience, use of mother tongue, technology
and non-verbal communication, classroom environment, attitude towards examination process
and evaluation, student-teacher relationship, reading skills, listening skills, doctorate degree, care,
fluency, expectations, knowledge, and punctuality.
Online teaching superseded face-to-face teaching and became a norm during the pandemic. The
study reveals that pandemic-stricken changes affected the students’ perceptions of an ideal English
teacher to a large extent. Before the pandemic, “having high expectations from all students” was not
a significant part of an ideal English teacher’s personality. During the pandemic, as regards classroom
environment, there was a sudden inclination towards “teaching aids” though the most favourite
option remained “student centric”; similarly, as regards teaching, there was a sudden inclination
towards “English as a language” though the most favourite option remained “English as a skill”. In
terms of test administration, there was an unexpected preference for “whenever the teacher feels like
it”, while “weekly” remained the most popular option during the pandemic. As for grading, there was
a sudden preference for the option “lenient”, while “neither strict nor lenient” remained the most
popular option during the pandemic. In the COVID-19 survey, the percentage of students who believed
the ideal teacher strictly followed exam norms jumped from 5.95 percent to 28.7 percent. During the
pandemic, the teacher’s dress sense, physical features or looks and fluency were less important; more
students expected the ideal teacher to be emotionally sensitive and flexible, maintain effective
interpersonal relationships with his/her colleagues, remain available “outside the class” virtually/
telephonically and focus on the strong relationship between the teacher and the student. When
compared with the pre-pandemic data, it was also found that more students realised the value of
their teachers’ nonverbal communication and emotional support during the pandemic. In uncertain
times, the teacher was emphatically expected to express his/her concern. The study reinforces the
idea, as in Bekereci (2017)’s study, that perceptions may change with a change in context.
Interestingly, the teacher’s interaction with the students, reading skills, listening skills, and punctuality
were considered crucial before as well as during the pandemic. Undoubtedly, a tech-savvy English
teacher is considered ideal. However, 11.3 percent of the students during the pandemic were of the
view that technology could not be a deciding factor when considering an ideal English teacher’s
professional characteristics. According to the students, the teacher’s gender, age, presence on social
media, familial and social background and brand awareness were mainly irrelevant aspects before as
well as during the pandemic. In the cases of teaching experience, knowledge about other subjects,
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doctorate degree, and the use of mother tongue, any sudden or important change in perception was
not noticed.
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Appendix
Questionnaire
Dear Student,
Thank you for your willingness to fill in this questionnaire, which is the main instrument for
collecting data regarding your perceptions of an ideal English teacher. This survey research is to
serve a dual purpose. First, the results of the research would give an opportunity to the department
teachers to introspect, retrospect, and analyse their personal, social, and professional aspects to
become better teachers. Secondly, the research work would be submitted to IGNOU in partial
fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education.
Kindly give honest responses. You identity would not be revealed under any circumstances.
Name (Optional)
Age:
Male or Female:
2. An Ideal English teacher, to your mind, belongs to the age group of ________________.
a. 20-30 years b. 31-40 years c. 41-50 years d. 51-60 years e. 61- years
f. Above 70 g. Age doesn’t matter
3. To what extent an ideal English teacher’s dress sense influence you to make an opinion about
his/her personality as a teacher?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
4. To what extent an ideal English teacher’s looks/physical features influence you to make an
opinion about his/her personality as a teacher?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
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7. To what extent an ideal English teacher’s interactions with his/her colleagues influence you
to make an opinion about his/her personality as a teacher?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
8. To what extent an ideal English teacher’s interactions with his/her students outside the
classroom influence you to make an opinion about his/her personality as a teacher?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
9. To what extent an ideal English teacher’s active presence on social media sites like Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram influence you to make an opinion about his/her personality as
a teacher?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
10. How important is it for you to know about the family and social background of an Ideal
English teacher?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
11. To what extent a teacher’s brand consciousness (for e.g. while using products like pen, mobile
phone, shoes, clothes, etc.) influence you to make an opinion about his/her personality as
a teacher?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
12. How important is it for an ideal English teacher to be available for his/her students outside
the classroom/university?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
Professional Aspects
14. What should be the attitude of an ideal English teacher towards the mother tongue? He/
she should ___________ use the mother tongue to teach English.
A. Always B. Usually C. Sometimes D. Rarely E. Never
15. Classroom environment can be best classified as ____________when an ideal English tea
cher teaches.
A. Teacher Centric B. Student Centric C. Syllabus Centric D. Teaching Aids like
projector, board, chalk, etc. Centric E. Any other (______________Centric)
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17. How should an Ideal English teacher take the University examination process (which
includes invigilation duties and evaluation of answer scripts also)?
A. Very Strictly; abide by all rules in letter
B. Seriously, but may not follow all rules strictly; Uses his/her discretion sensibly and legally
(abiding rules in spirit)
C. Leniently; does not follow all rules; doesn’t mind taking illegal decisions off and on
D. Carelessly; not bothered about rules at all; highly illegal, unprofessional, and unethical
approach.
19. How important is it for an ideal English teacher to use technology (slides, edocuments,
smart classroom materials, etc.) in the lecture?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
20. How important is it for an ideal English teacher to build strong studentteacher
relationship?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
21. How important is it for an ideal English teacher to use his/her physical gestures (Not
words), i.e. non-verbal communication while communicating and teaching?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
22. How important are Listening skills for an ideal English teacher?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
23. How important are Reading skills for an ideal English teacher?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
24. To what extent is it important for an ideal English teacher to have a doctorate degree?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
25. To what extent is it important for an ideal English teacher to have teaching experience
in the past?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
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26. How important is it for an ideal English teacher to show that he/she cares about his/her
students?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very important
e. The most important
27. How important is it for an ideal English teacher to have high expectations from all
students?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very
important
e. The most important
28. How important is it for an ideal English teacher to have a very high level of fluency?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very
important
e. The most important
29. How important is it for an ideal English teacher to have knowledge about other subjects
than English?
a. Not important b. Slightly important c. Somewhat important d. Very
important
e. The most important
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