English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies ISSN 2640-9836 (Print) ISSN 2640-9844 (Online) Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls 40 Original Paper Qualities of an Ideal Language Teacher: A Gender-Based Investigation OLANIYAN-SHOBOWALE, K.O. (Ph.D) 1* & Arimiyau Olanike Sekinat 2 1 Faculty of Education, Department of Language, Arts and Social Science Education, Lagos state University, Lagos State, Nigeria 2 Faculty of Arts, Department of Foreign Languages, Lagos State University, Lagos State, Nigeria * OLANIYAN-SHOBOWALE, K.O. (Ph.D), Faculty of Education, Department of Language, Arts and Social Science Education, Lagos state University, Lagos State, Nigeria Received: April 18, 2019 Accepted: May 3, 2019 Online Published: May 7, 2019 doi:10.22158/eltls.v1n1p40 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/eltls.v1n1p40 Abstract Teachers influence to a large extent, the attitudes learners of a language have towards a target language. The question is thus asked, What do the language students want to see in their teachers?, what personality traits and professional qualities would endear teachers of languages to the their students? and how would these qualities be determined or influenced by the gender of selected respondents?. This study aims at identifying the qualities of an ideal language teacher as perceived by language undergraduates students at the Lagos State University. Selected respondents answered to a 42-item Likert-scale questionnaire concerning their perceived notion of qualities or personality traits of a successful language teacher. Independent sample t-test was used to calculate and identify any gender-based differences. Recommendations was made along the need to enhance the inherent personality traits and professional qualities of language teachers, explore the optimum potentials in order to maximize students language learning potentials. Keywords qualities, ideal, gender-based, language teacher, Lagos State University 1. Introduction It can be argued that one of the most effective pathway to improving students’ learning outcomes is the quality of teaching especially teachers’ ability to motivate and facilitate such learning. Language teachers need to make informed decisions on how to implement, cultivate and maintain motivation throughout the academic year to enhance learning; in order to do that, they really need to look into how www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 41 Published by SCHOLINK INC. their students perceive effective language teaching and who an effective teacher is. An identification of these perceptions would have an obvious relevance to understanding their expectations of the course, their commitment to the class as well as to the opportunities they should be provided with to be successful and satisfied with their language programme. There is a critical need to better understand how specific groups of language learners in socio-cultural contexts characterise effective language teachers (Borg, 2006). It is hoped that the outcomes of this study will be particularly informative to lecturers, course designers and teacher trainers working in tertiary education in the field of language teaching. Numerous studies on teaching effectiveness and the behaviours of effective teachers especially as perceived by students in different contexts worldwide have been published (Thomson, 2008; Borg, 2006; Chen, 2012) in the domain of foreign language education. Influenced by the work of Borg (2006), Lee (2010) investigated the distinctive characteristics of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, and identified three areas which distinguish language teaching from the teaching of other subjects. These were the nature of the subject-matter, the teaching approach and the teacher’s personality. The first area was perceived by Japanese EFL college students as unique to EFL teachers as the latter are expected to use the target language as the medium of instruction, which according to Borg (2006), it is a medium that students do not yet understand. This inevitably places more demands on a language teacher’s proficiency in the target language and consequently on his ability to simplify his language or adjust it according to the learning situation and his students’ level. A language teacher’s command of the target language was also highlighted by other relevant studies. Other important characteristics identified in Lee’s study were the teacher’s ability to teach comprehensibly, deliver interesting lessons and treat students fairly. Similar findings were also found in Park and Lee’s study (2006) who investigated the characteristics of effective English teachers as perceived by high school students in Korea. Although variables such as gender and performance seemed to have contributed significantly in the way students ranked certain characteristics, they all ranked pedagogical knowledge the highest and agreed on the importance of reading and speaking proficiency, the teacher’s ability to arouse students’ interest in learning English and build their self-confidence. Other attributes that could affect students’ perception of their language teachers is a teacher’s pleasant and supportive personality as well as the use of more interesting activities. Findings from a study conducted by Chen (2012) were grouped into two broad categories relating to personal trait-related and classroom teaching-related characteristics. The former mainly included emotion, kindness, fairness, lenience and responsibility, while the latter category was concerned with skills and techniques of lesson delivery and error correction, language used in teaching, classroom activity organisation and classroom atmosphere creation. Barnes’ study (2010) examined students’ beliefs about the attributes of effective EFL lecturers in a Korean University setting was also particularly informative and supportive of the other studies mentioned above. Students emphasised the importance of the language teacher ’s friendly www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 42 Published by SCHOLINK INC. and supportive personality, arguing that it contributes significantly to reducing fear and language anxiety and promoting learning by making students feel valued and comfortable with using the language in FL classroom. Lesson delivery was also considered of utmost importance with particular emphasis on the use of various teaching methods and teaching materials and the employment of group work. Similarly, Bell (2005) and Lee (2010) assert that the language teacher should maximize students’ involvement by making use of group work and exposing students to more communicative activities. Other review of studies which have been carried out on the characteristics and qualities of effective EFL teachers on a number of variables, have shown that despite the differences in the level of importance given to various features, there seems to be a strong consensus on the types of knowledge and behaviours that language teachers need to possess and display. Among these are competence in the target language along with good communication skills, ability to deliver the lesson in meaningful and engaging ways, the use of group work to encourage greater degree of learner involvement, ability to maintain a motivating and supportive learning environment and tolerance to learners’ linguistic errors usage. Although traditionally, females and males are assumed to have different abilities regarding language, language learning and different analytical and mathematical skills, recent research studies have begun to refute this mainstream thinking. For instance, in relation to girls’ and boys’ self-conceptualization, Marsh, Byrne and Shavelson (1988) demonstrated that girls had a high self concept of verbal skills and high achievement in terms of verbal skills, while boys had only a high self concept of mathematical skills but low achievement. Nevertheless, the mainstream research focusing on the relationship between genders and second language learning has proved some differences between sexes. In their study of females’ and males’ attitudes toward second language learning, Gardner and Lambert (1972) observed that not only females had more positive attitudes toward the speakers of a second language but also they were more motivated toward learning a second language than males were. Green and Oxford (1995) investigated the effects of gender and proficiency level on strategy use of EFL students. They found that learner strategies were used more by women than men, and more among successful language learners. Fourteen strategies were used significantly more often by women in this study, although only one was used significantly more often by men: watching television programs and video movies in English. The Lagos State University, located in Ojo, Lagos state Nigeria offers to her teaming students five different languages of Arabic, English, Portuguese, French and Yoruba. While Yoruba is learnt and taught as one of the Nigerian native Languages and English Language as an L2, Arabic, French and Portuguese are taught as Foreign Languages respectively. 2. Methodology This study employed the descriptive survey approach to data collection and analysis. The respondents of this study were 331 third-years undergraduate students of the Lagos State University who majored in www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 43 Published by SCHOLINK INC. four different Language disciplines (Arabic-87, French-36, English-153, Portuguese-19 and Yoruba-36). Sixty-eight male and forty-two female students took part in the survey. The study raised and answered 4 Research Questions and tested 2 Hypotheses thus: Research Question 1: What teacher’s personality qualities do language students perceive as being ideal for teaching their language of study? Research Question 2: What professional traits are perceived as important by language students in their teachers? Research Question 3a: Will there be a significant difference in the students’ perceptions based on Gender? Research Question 3b: Will there be a significant difference in the students’ perceptions based on Language of Study? 2.1 Hypotheses HO1: There will be no significant relationships between language students’ gender and their perceptions of the ideal Language teacher. HO2: There will be no significant relationships between language students’ Language of study and their perceptions of the ideal Language teacher. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first part was about the respondents’ background information including gender and department of study. The second part consisted of 42 Likert-scale questions. Ten questions concentrated on personal skills and classroom behaviour, fourteen items were related to personal and personality characteristics of teachers, eleven were related to the content and pedagogical knowledge of the teachers, and seven were focused on lesson organization and preparation. 2.2 Data Analysis In terms of data analysis, quantitative data were analysed by using the SPSS statistical software. For more rigorous results, a t-test was applied with gender as the independent variable, ANOVA and PMC. These tests aimed at examining whether any of these variables may have influenced students’ perceptions of the effective characteristics of their teacher. 2.3 Presentation of Results Table 1. Responses to Questionnaire Items S/N Items PERSONAL QUALITIES AND PERSONALITY TRAITS A. An Effective Language Teacher Should Be: NF SD D SLD SLA A SA 1. Fair and just 12 (13.6%) 21 (6.3 %) 35 (10.6%) 54 (16.3%) 92 (27.8%) 29 (8.8%) 88(26.6%) 2. Enthusiastic 8 (2.4 %) 26 (7.8 %) 29 (8.8 %) 54 (16.3 %) 102 (30.8%) 44 (13.3%) 76 (23%) 3. Friendly 4 (1.2%) 19 (5.5%) 35 (10.6%) 54 (16.3%) 86 (26%) 53 (16%) 84 (25.4%) 4. Loving 3 (0.9%) 16 (4.8%) 27 (8.2%) 54 (16.3%) 112 (33.8%) 40 (12.1%) 79(23.9 %) www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 44 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 5. Creative 2 (0.6%) 22 (6.6%) 28 (8.5%) 50 (15.1%) 84 (25.4%) 45 (13.6%) 102 (30.8%) 6. Experienced 2 (0.6 %) 11 (3.3%) 26 (7.9%) 46 (13.9%) 82 (24.8%) 49 (14.8%) 115(34.7 %) 7. Have a sense of humour 2 (.6 %) 23 (7.5%) 32 (9.7%) 52 (15.7%) 100 (30.2%) 62 (18.7 %) 60 (18.1%) 8. Nigeria, but good in Arabic/French/Portuguese/English/Yoruba 6 (1.8%) 28 (8.5%) 26 (7.9%) 72 (21.8%) 91 (27.5%) 56 (16.9%) 52 (15.7%) 9. Nigerian, but good in English/Arabic/French/Portuguese/Yoruba 6 (1.8%) 34 (10.3%) 39 (12%) 64 (19.3%) 90 (27.2%) 56 (16.9%) 42 (12.7%) 10 Young 18 (5.4%) 44 (13.3%) 38 (11.5%) 81 (24.5%) 79 (23.9%) 54 (16.3%) 17 (5.1%) 11 Should be a male 30 (9.1%) 55 (16.6%) 39 (11.8%) 88 (26.6%) 65 (19.6%) 39 (11.8%) 15 (4.5%) 12 Native speaker of Arabic /French/Portuguese 10 (3%) 48 (14.5%) 49 (14.8%) 75 (22.7%) 79 (23.9%) 35 (10.6%) 35 (10.6%) 13 Stimulates interest in the subject 4 (1.2%) 18 (5.4%) 32 (9.7%) 54 (16.3%) 86 (26%) 52 (15.7 %) 85 (25.7%) 14 Shares personal experiences with students 11 (3.3%) 17 (5.1%) 34 (10.3%) 59 (18%) 103 (31.1%) 42 (12.7%) 65 (20%) B Content And Pedagogy – Specific Knowledge. Should; 15 Teach pronunciation well 4 (1.2%) 11 (3.3%) 20 (6%) 57 (17.2%) 78 (23.6%) 47 (14%) 114 (34.4%) 16 Teach speaking skills adequately 7 (2.1%) 17 (5.1%) 20 (6%) 43 (13%) 79(23.9%) 55 (16.6%) 110 (33.2%) 17 Teach reading skills adequately 2 (.6%) 14 (4.2%) 27 (8.2%) 43 (13%) 78 (23.6%) 60 (18.1%) 107 (32.3%) 18 Teach writing skills adequately 2 (.6%) 21 (6.3%) 23 (6.9%) 39 (11.8%) 70 (21.1%) 66 (19.9%) 112 (33.8%) 19 Teach listening skills adequately 1 (.3%) 15 (4.5%) 29 (8.8%) 43 (13%) 80 (24.2%) 52 (15.7%) 111 (33.5%) 20 Explains grammar rules well 2 (.6%) 17 (5.1%) 30 (9.1%) 35 (10.5%) 89 (26.9%) 66 (19.9%) 92 (27.8%) 21 Give real-life examples while teaching 2 (%) 14 (4.2%) 30 (9.1%) 59 (17.8%) 79 (23.9%) 66 (24.5%) 81 (24.5%) 22 Teach both academic and daily language use 1 (.3%) 17 (8.1 %) 33 (10%) 42 (12.7%) 95 (28.7%) 58 (17.5%) 86 (26%) 23 Teach the target culture adequately 2 (.6%) 17 (5.1%) 35 (10.6%) 52 (15.7%) 88 (26.6%) 66 (19.9%) 71 (21.5%) 24 Help students to learn the language easily 4 (1.2%) 20 (6.%) 19 (5.7%) 42 (12.7%) 95 (28.7%) 57 (17.2%) 94 (28.4%) 25 Use literary texts in the classroom 5 (1.5%) 22 (6.6%) 30 (9.1%) 56 (16.9%) 79 (23.9%) 57 (17.2%) 87 (26.3%) 26 Encourage participation of students with low confidence 11 (3.3%) 21 (6.3%) 23 (6.9 %) 52 (15.7%) 85 (25.7 %) 47 (14.2%) 92 (27.8%) C Professional Skills and Classroom Behaviour- should also; 27 Have sound knowledge of vocabulary 9 (2.7%) 19 (5.7%) 23 (6.9%) 40 (12.1%) 93 (28.1%) 60 (18.1%) 87 (26.3%) 28 Have sound knowledge of grammar 6 (1.8%) 13 (3.9%) 28 (8.5%) 45 (13.6%) 79 (23.9%) 66 (19.9%) 94 (28.4%) 29 Reduces students’ anxiety 4 (1.2%) 16 (3.9%) 28 (8.5%) 47 (14.2%) 117 (35.3 %) 58 (17.5%) 61 (18.4%) 30 Uses technology and visual materials well 3 (.9%) 18 (5.4%) 25 (7.6%) 50 (15.1%) 100 (30.2%) 62 (18.7%) 72 (21.8%) 31 Takes attendance - 19 (5.7 %) 35 (10.6%) 45 (13.6%) 104 (31.4%) 46 (13.9%) 82 (24.8%) 32 Regularly gives tests and quizzes - 28 (8.5%) 32 (9.7%) 62 (18.7%) 98 (26.6 %) 55 (16.6%) 56 (16.9%) 33 Plays games during teaching 1 (.3%) 44 (13.3%) 42 (12.7%) 80 (24.2%) 81 (24.5%) 47 (14.2%) 36 (10.9%) 34 Asks students to check each other’s work 4 (1.2%) 30 (9.1%) 43 (13%) 72 (21.8%) 85 (25.7%) 52 (15.7%) 45 (13.6%) 35 Gives assignment regularly - 25 (7.6%) 41 (12.4%) 51 (15.4%) 94 (28.4%) 58 (17.5%) 62 (18.7%) 36 Acts as the only authority in the classroom - 43 (13%) 40 (12.1%) 67 (20.2%) 89 (26.9%) 45 (13.6%) 47 (14.2%) 37 Speaks rather than listens to students 1 (.3%) 37 (11.2%) 47 (14.2%) 87 (26.3%) 70 (21.1 %) 44 (13.3%) 45(13.6%) D Lesson Organization and Preparation www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 45 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 38 Are well prepared for every lesson 1 (.3%) 13 (3.9%) 21 (6.3%) 54 (16.3%) 90 (27.2%) 61 (18.4%) 91(27.5%) 39 Provides a syllabus detailing course content week by week 1 (.3%) 15 (4.5 %) 31 (9.4%) 45 (13.6 %) 83 (25.1%) 64 (19.3%) 92 (27.8%) 40 Explains the instructional methods to the class - 7 (2.1%) 35 (10.6 %) 55 (16.6%) 85 (25.7%) 62 (18.7%) 87 (26.3 %) 41 Tells the students the lesson objectives each lesson - 15 (4.5%) 28 (8.5%) 43 (13 %) 90 (27.2 %) 73 (22.1 %) 82 (24.8%) 42 Make their own supplementary materials 1 (.3%) 12 (3.6%) 28 (8.5 %) 65 (19.6%) 89 (26.9%) 62 (18.7%) 74 (22.4%) 43 Where not readily available, improvise instructional material 1 (.3%) 24 (7.3%) 27 (8.2%) 55 (16.6%) 93 (28.1%) 68 (20.5%) 63 (19%) 44 Clearly defines evaluation methods 4 (1.2%) 15 (4.5%) 24 (7.3 %) 53 (16 %) 68 (20.5%) 76 (23%) 91 (27.5%) Research Question 1: What teacher’s personality qualities do language students perceive as being ideal for teaching their language of study? Table 2. Responses to Items 1 to 14 of the Questionnaire S/N Items PERSONAL QUALITIES AND PERSONALITY TRAITS B. An Effective Language Teacher Should Be: NF SD D SLD SLA A SA 1 Fair and just 12 (13.6%) 21 (6.3 %) 35 (10.6%) 54 (16.3%) 92 (27.8%) 29 (8.8%) 88 (26.6%) 2 Enthusiastic 8 (2.4 %) 26 (7.8 %) 29 (8.8 %) 54 (16.3 %) 102 (30.8%) 44 (13.3%) 76(23%) 3 Friendly 4 (1.2%) 19 (5.5%) 35 (10.6%) 54 (16.3%) 86 (26%) 53 (16%) 84 (25.4%) 4 Loving 3 (0.9%) 16 (4.8%) 27 (8.2%) 54 (16.3%) 112 (33.8%) 40 (12.1%) 79 (23.9 %) 5 Creative 2 (0.6%) 22 (6.6%) 28 (8.5%) 50 (15.1%) 84 (25.4%) 45 (13.6%) 102 (30.8%) 6 Experienced 2 (0.6 %) 11 (3.3%) 26 (7.9%) 46 (13.9%) 82 (24.8%) 49(14.8%) 115 (34.7 %) 7 Have a sense of humour 2 (.6 %) 23 (7.5%) 32 (9.7%) 52 (15.7%) 100 (30.2%) 62 (18.7 %) 60 (18.1%) 8 Nigeria, but good in Arabic/French/Portuguese/English/Yoruba 6 (1.8%) 28 (8.5%) 26 (7.9%) 72 (21.8%) 91 (27.5%) 56 (16.9%) 52 (15.7%) 9 Nigerian, but good in English/Arabic/French/Portuguese/Yoruba 6 (1.8%) 34 (10.3%) 39 (12%) 64 (19.3%) 90 (27.2%) 56 (16.9%) 42 (12.7%) 10 Young 18 (5.4%) 44 (13.3%) 38 (11.5%) 81 (24.5%) 79 (23.9%) 54 (16.3%) 17(5.1%) 11 Should be a male 30 (9.1%) 55 (16.6%) 39 (11.8%) 88 (26.6%) 65 (19.6%) 39 (11.8%) 15 (4.5%) 12 Native speaker of Arabic /French/Portuguese 10 (3%) 48 (14.5%) 49 (14.8%) 75 (22.7%) 79 (23.9%) 35 (10.6%) 35 (10.6%) 13 Stimulates interest in the subject 4 (1.2%) 18 (5.4%) 32 (9.7%) 54 (16.3%) 86 (26%) 52 (15.7 %) 85 (25.7%) www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 46 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 14 Shares personal experiences with students 11 (3.3%) 17 (5.1%) 34 (10.3%) 59 (18%) 103 (31.1%) 42 (12.7%) 65 (20%) From Table 2 it could be observed that Experience (item 6) is rated as the most important teacher ’s personality quality that is ideal for teaching their language of study by the 74.3% of the respondents (percentage of those who strongly agreed, those who agreed and those who slightly agreed). Loving (item 4) and Creative (item 5) elicited 69.8% of agreement. “Having a sense of humour” (items 7) was affirmed by 67.6% respondents as a personality trait for an ideal Language teacher likewise being Friendly (item 3) attracted 67.4 % and enthusiastic (item2) had 67.1% respondent. It is worthy of note that 63.4% of the respondents consented to “fair and just” (item 1) being attributes of an ideal teacher. Expectedly, 66.7% and 63.8% respondents respectively affirmed that teachers Stimulating interest in the subject (item 13) and Sharing personal experiences with students (item 14) are equally important personality traits for an ideal Language teacher. It is striking to note that averagely the students showed preference to a Nigerian teacher who is good in those languages as viewed by the 56.8% and 54.1% respectively of the respondents in items 9 and 8 as against 54.9% who denounced the native speaker in item12. There seem to be no age discrimination regarding an ideal teacher as testified by 54.7% of the respondents (percentage of those who strongly disagreed, those who disagreed and those who slightly disagreed) ii item10. Furthermore, 64.1% disagreed with an ideal teacher being exclusively a male. Research Question 2: What professional traits are perceived as important by language students in their teachers? Table 3. Responses to Items 27 to 37 C Professional Skills and Classroom Behavior-should also; 27 Have sound knowledge of vocabulary 9 (2.7%) 19 (5.7%) 23 (6.9%) 40 (12.1%) 93 (28.1%) 60 (18.1%) 87 (26.3%) 28 Have sound knowledge of grammar 6 (1.8%) 13 (3.9%) 28 (8.5%) 45 (13.6%) 79 (23.9%) 66 (19.9%) 94 (28.4%) 29 Reduces students’ anxiety 4 (1.2%) 16 (3.9%) 28 (8.5%) 47 (14.2%) 117 (35.3 %) 58 (17.5%) 61 (18.4%) 30 Uses technology and visual materials well 3 (.9%) 18 (5.4%) 25 (7.6%) 50 (15.1%) 100 (30.2%) 62 (18.7%) 72 (21.8%) 31 Takes attendance - 19 (5.7 %) 35 (10.6%) 45 (13.6%) 104 (31.4%) 46 (13.9%) 82 (24.8%) 32 Regularly gives tests and quizzes - 28 (8.5%) 32 (9.7%) 62 (18.7%) 98 (26.6 %) 55 (16.6%) 56 (16.9%) 33 Plays games during teaching 1 44 42 80 81 47 36 www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 47 Published by SCHOLINK INC. (.3%) (13.3%) (12.7%) (24.2%) (24.5%) (14.2%) (10.9%) 34 Asks students to check each other’s work 4 (1.2%) 30 (9.1%) 43 (13%) 72 (21.8%) 85 (25.7%) 52 (15.7%) 45 (13.6%) 35 Gives assignment regularly - 25 (7.6%) 41 (12.4%) 51 (15.4%) 94 (28.4%) 58 (17.5%) 62 (18.7%) 36 Acts as the only authority in the classroom - 43 (13%) 40 (12.1%) 67 (20.2%) 89 (26.9%) 45 (13.6%) 47 (14.2%) 37 Speaks rather than listens to students 1 (.3%) 37 (11.2%) 47 (14.2%) 87 (26.3%) 70 (21.1 %) 44 (13.3%) 45 (13.6%) Table shows the professional traits perceived as important by language students in their teachers. The expression “Having sound knowledge of vocabulary” (item 27) elicited 72.5% (percentage of those who strongly agreed, those who agreed and those who slightly agreed).of the responses and was perceived as most important professional trait by language students in their teachers. The next professional traits in the order of perceived importance are reducing of students’ anxiety (items 29) and having sound knowledge of grammar (item 28) of which 72.2% and 71.2% of respondents respectively affirmed. Meanwhile using technology and visual materials well (items 30) and taking attendance (item 31) elicited 70.7% and 70.1% of respondents respectively were likewise seen as important professional traits. In the same vein, 64.6% and 60.1% of respondents agreed that giving assignment regularly (items 35) and regularly gives tests and quizzes (item 32) were perceived as important professional traits. Moreover asking students to check each other (item 34) and acting as the only authority in the classroom (item 36) were maintained by 55% and 54.7% of the respondents respectively as important professional traits also. On the contrary, 50.4% of the respondents did not perceive playing games during teaching (item33) as an important professional trait. Research Question 4: Will there be a significant difference in the students’ perceptions based on Gender? Table 4. Summary of Means [ X ] and Standard Deviation (SD) of Students’ Perception of an Ideal Teacher Based on Gender SEX N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean ELTT Male 182 52.14 14.026 1.040 Female 148 54.81 12.946 1.064 CPT Male 182 49.59 14.313 1.061 Female 148 53.06 13.533 1.112 PST Male 182 41.55 10.819 .802 Female 148 44.07 10.047 .826 www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 48 Published by SCHOLINK INC. LOT Male 182 28.83 8.098 .600 Female 148 30.56 7.764 .638 GTT Male 182 172.11 41.358 3.066 Female 148 182.51 38.513 3.166 Table 4 indicates that there will be significant differences of male and female students’ perceptions of an ideal teacher regarding the ELTT (effective language teacher), CPT (Content and Pedagogy), PST (Professional Skills), LOT (Lesson Organisation & Perception) and GTT (General perception) based. From table 3a it could be deduced that there is a significant difference in the perception of male ( X =49.59; SD=14.31) and female ( X =53.06; SD=13.53) students in their perception of Content and Pedagogy. It is evident in their perception of Professional Skill for which male ( X =41.55; SD=10.82) and female ( X =44.07; SD=10.05) that the difference will be significant. Likewise there will be a significant difference in their perception of Lesson Organisation and Preparation for which male ( X =28.83; SD=8.10) and female ( X =30.56; SD=7.76). The general perception of the students based on their gender also indicates that there will be a significant difference for which male ( X =172.11; SD=41.36) and female ( X =182.51; SD=38.51). It can be noted that the female students have better perception than their male counterparts in all the indices. Research Question 5: Will there be a significant difference in the students’ perceptions based on Language of Study? Table 5. Descriptive N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error 95% Confidence Interval for Mean Minimum Maximum Lower Bound Upper Bound ELTT English 153 53.59 14.716 1.190 51.24 55.95 6 84 Arabic 87 51.51 13.688 1.468 48.59 54.42 14 84 French 36 52.72 10.013 1.669 49.33 56.11 37 75 Portuguese 19 57.74 10.603 2.433 52.63 62.85 43 74 Yoruba 36 54.86 12.543 2.090 50.62 59.11 18 75 Total 331 53.33 13.578 .746 51.86 54.79 6 84 CPT English 153 51.67 15.364 1.242 49.21 54.12 4 72 www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 49 Published by SCHOLINK INC. Arabic 87 48.32 12.679 1.359 45.62 51.02 16 70 French 36 52.92 11.350 1.892 49.08 56.76 35 72 Portuguese 19 54.05 13.427 3.080 47.58 60.52 18 72 Yoruba 36 52.53 13.585 2.264 47.93 57.12 18 72 Total 331 51.15 14.034 .771 49.64 52.67 4 72 PST English 153 42.69 10.750 .869 40.98 44.41 16 66 Arabic 87 41.17 11.080 1.188 38.81 43.53 14 66 French 36 42.08 8.460 1.410 39.22 44.95 30 61 Portuguese 19 47.74 9.757 2.238 43.03 52.44 29 66 Yoruba 36 44.39 9.892 1.649 41.04 47.74 16 58 Total 331 42.70 10.527 .579 41.56 43.84 14 66 LOT English 153 29.69 8.892 .719 28.27 31.11 9 42 Arabic 87 28.14 7.883 .845 26.46 29.82 8 42 French 36 30.33 5.860 .977 28.35 32.32 17 42 Portuguese 19 31.37 6.344 1.455 28.31 34.43 21 42 Yoruba 36 31.19 6.168 1.028 29.11 33.28 16 42 Total 331 29.61 7.973 .438 28.75 30.47 8 42 English 153 177.64 44.504 3.598 170.53 184.75 61 250 Arabic 87 169.14 38.345 4.111 160.97 177.31 60 234 GTT French 36 178.06 29.475 4.913 168.08 188.03 133 245 Portuguese 19 190.89 32.626 7.485 175.17 206.62 119 241 Yoruba 36 182.97 37.423 6.237 170.31 195.63 68 247 Total 331 176.79 40.321 2.216 172.43 181.15 60 250 From Table 5 it could be observed that the mean differences in the students’ perceptions based on language of study are very small. It therefore suggests that there will be no significant difference in the perceptions of the students regarding the ELTT (effective language teacher), CPT (Content and Pedagogy), PST (Professional Skills), LOT (Lesson Organisation & Perception) and GTT (General perception) based on language of study (English, Arabic, French, Portuguese and Yoruba). This implies that in spite of the difference their Language of study, the students’ view of an ideal teacher remain basically the same Hypotheses. HO1 There will be no significant relationships between language students’ gender and their perceptions of the ideal Language teacher. www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 50 Published by SCHOLINK INC. Table 6. Pearson Moment Correlation of Students’ Scores on Their Perceptions of the Ideal Language Teacher Based on Gender SEX GTT SEX Pearson Correlation 1 .128 * Sig. (2-tailed) .020 N 331 331 PILT Pearson Correlation .128 * 1 Sig. (2-tailed) .020 N 331 331 *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). Table 6 reveals that there is a significant correlation between students’ gender (SEX) and Perception of an Ideal Language Teacher (PILT) (r=0.13; N=331; P=0.02; 2-tailed). It is a weak correlation: 2% of the variation is explained. This is an indication that students gender influence their perception of an ideal teacher in general. HO2: There will be no significant relationships between language students’ Language of study and their perceptions of the ideal Language teacher. Table 7. Pearson Moment Correlation of Students’ Scores on Their Perceptions of the Ideal Language Teacher Based on Their Language of Study Correlations LM GTT LM Pearson Correlation 1 .063 Sig. (2-tailed) .252 N 331 331 PILT Pearson Correlation .063 1 Sig. (2-tailed) .252 N 331 331 Table 7 reveals that there is no significant correlation between students’ Language of study (LM) and their Perception of an Ideal Language Teacher (PILT) (r=0.06; N=331; P=0.25; 2-tailed). It is an indication that students’ Language of study does not affect their perception of an ideal teacher. 3. Discussion and Conclusion There is little doubt that every student wishes to have the best teacher. However, what makes a teacher successful in his/her teaching has always been a thorny question among educational practitioners. www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019 51 Published by SCHOLINK INC. Indeed, teachers play a vital role in shaping students’ perceptions and experiences of learning, which will ultimately impact their academic achievement. Research has demonstrated that teachers’ teaching style and the decisions they make in classrooms equally have a great influence on the learners’ learning outcome (Markley, 2004). Teachers who are able to encourage, inspire, and motivate the learners can provide useful experience for the students, which will positively influence their academic life. In contrast, those teachers who are unable to fulfill such tasks will undoubtedly create negative experience for the learners and make their learning inefficient. Personal experiences have shown that one single negative experience with a teacher is enough for a student to form negative feelings about school and learning, which can detrimental effects on one’s future life. Language teachers are not an exception to this rule and they also play an important role in improving teaching quality. An effective language teacher can facilitate the learning process, influence how students perceive the course content, and can create a positive learning experience for the language learners. Finally, the fact that significant differences were found between students depending on their gender and university majors provide evidence that there are different factors which may have an influence on students’ individual needs and learning styles and consequently on their views of what characterise effective language teachers. Teachers should therefore be aware of the importance of student individuality and try to include in their lessons a variety of teaching methods, materials, topics and promote different learning strategies which would cater for the needs of all students in class. School authorities where languages and Language teachers are taught and learnt are urged to provide an open class discussion where students are encouraged to express their views on different aspects of the Language lesson which could help the teachers understand what is expected of them and use this information to design more informed lessons. References Arabsky, J. (1999). Gender differences in language learning strategy use (A pilot study). In B. Miβler, & U. Multhaup (Eds.), The Construction of knowledge, learner autonomy and related issues in foreign language learning (pp. 79-90). Essays in honour of Dieter Wolff. Barnes, B. D. (2010). The attributes of Effective Lecturers of English as a Foreign Language as Perceived by Students in a Korean University. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 35(1), 139-152. http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2010v35n1. Barnes, B. D., & Lock, G. 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