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teachers have to bear in mind that showing disrespect to students is not appropriate BU Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching 2014.
B. What Research Says about Teacher Behavior
A piece of research done by Yucel Gelisli in 2007 in her journal article entitled Effects of Teachers Attitudes and Behavior on Students Attitudes, Behavior, and Academic
Success in Turkey, found that teachers way of classroom management, in-class and out-of- class attitudes, and teaching methods and strategies had both positive and negative impacts on
their academic success and participation in lessons. This research was aimed at exposing the influence of teachers conception of discipline,
way of communication, and attitude toward students on students academic success and attitudes toward school, courses, and teachers. The influence of teacher attitudes inside and
outside the class on students academic success was determined freely through student observation and student opinions, therefore a qualitative approach was used for that research.
Another study done by Judith Carr-Back in 2009 found that students perceived teacher behavior as influential to their academic success. In the students’ eyes, welcoming and
helpful teachers who communicated positive expectations for students success were considered as effective teachers. The study also identified teacher attitudes and behaviors that
students experienced as disruptive to their learning. These attitudes and behavior included teacher apathy and disorganization.
C. Teacher Behavior Checklist
Keeley and Buskist developed a checklist in 2006. In a study which involved 313 students evaluating 3 instructors, Keeley and Buskist used factor analysis to evaluate the contributions
of each of these behaviors to overall teaching effectiveness. They found that there were 28 behaviors which contributed to teaching effectiveness. Ten of them are shown in the list
below.
No. Types of behavior
Detailed explanations 1.
ApproachablePersonable Smiles, greets students,
initiates conversations, invites questions, responds
respectfully to student comments
2. Encourages and Cares for
Students Provides praise for good
student work, helps students who need it, offers bonus
points and extra credit, and knows student names
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3. FlexibleOpen-Minded
Changes calendar of course events when necessary, will
meet at hours outside of office hours, pays attention to
students when they state their opinions, accepts criticism
from others, and allows students to do make-up work
when appropriate
4. Good Listener
Doesnt interrupt students while they are talking,
maintains eye contact, and asks questions about points
that students are making
5. HappyPositive
AttitudeHumorous Tells jokes and funny stories,
laughs with students
6. Professional
Dresses nicely [neat and clean shoes, slacks, blouses,
dresses, shirts, ties] and no profanity profanity =
showing no respect
7. Provides Constructive Feedback
Writes comments on returned work, answers students
questions, and gives advice on test-taking
8. Rapport good relationship
Makes class laugh through jokes and funny stories,
initiates and maintains class discussions, knows student
names, and interacts with students before and after
class
9. Respectful
Does not humiliate or embarrass students in class, is
polite to students [says thank you and please, etc.], does
not interrupt students while they are talking, and does not
talk down to students
10. Understanding
Accepts legitimate excuses for missing class or
coursework, is available beforeafter class to answer
questions, doesnt lose temper at students, and takes extra
time to discuss difficult concepts
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Table 1: Types of teacher behaviors, taken from Keeley, J., Smith, D., Buskist, W. 2006
From the above table, it is clear that there are many factors which can be parameters of good teacher behavior. Some other researchers also proposed different criteria. The table
developed by Keeley, Smith, and Buskist is just one that I used to give a more complete picture of desired teacher behavior.
Research Methodology
This research was conducted at the English Education Program PBI, at the Faculty of Language and Literature FBS, Satya Wacana Christian University Salatiga. Data on
expected teacher behavior were derived through journals consisting of six questions that students had to answer. I took and modified some questions form Richards 1996, in his
article “Focus on the Learner”. There is a section which discusses learners’ cognitive styles and one of the parameters is students’ preferences for the favorite types of teacher behavior.
In addition, I also saw the teacher behavior checklist from Keeley and Buskist 1996. Twenty three students of Academic Writing in Semester I 2012-2013 became the
participants of this study. There were five male and eighteen female students. Their class years varied from 2006, the oldest up to 2010, the youngest generation. When they wrote this
journal, the teaching-learning process was still going on. This journal was written in October 2012. Besides the students, there were two lecturers who also became the participants.
Teacher A, female, about 34, has now been teaching for ten years and has been teaching writing courses since she became a lecturer. She mostly handles Guided Writing and
Academic Writing courses. The other teacher, Teacher B 28, F, is a junior lecturer who teaches part time in our faculty. She has only been teaching for 2.5 years, and most of the
time she is teaching Guided Writing. Both lecturers hold a Master’s degree. At the beginning, five writing lecturers whom I randomly selected of the Faculty of
Language and Literature were asked to state their opinions and perspectives on the same things. Six questions were also addressed to them via email, and the questionnaires were sent
to their email on February 8, 2014. However, due to time limitation and their busy activities, only two gave response and became the participants of this study.
Pseudonyms were used in this study instead of the real names of the participants due to research ethics and confidentiality. Quotations for both students and lecturers were
answered in English, and answers have been checked and corrected in terms of grammar. This is with a purpose to avoid misunderstanding and to add clarity on the students’ views.
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Discussion
From the students’ journals and questionnaires that I distributed to some writing course teachers, I found various answers that I could categorize into six big themes; they are
teachers’ appearance, direct feedback, ways of delivering materials, formality in teaching, and teachers’ sense of humor.
A. The importance of teachers’ appearance
Given the question “What kind of teacher do you like? Do you notice their physical appearance? Their face? Their beauty handsomeness dresses costumes?”, my students
gave various answers. There were nine students who assertively mentioned that physical appearance does not matter at all. Student F, Student W, Student H, Student M, Student I,
Student P, Student G, Student C, and Student S had a similar view on teachers’ physical appearance. For them, there are things which are much more important than appearance, like
the teachers’ ability to deliver materials clearly, teachers’ understanding to the students, or their character. Student I, for example, stated, “Rather than noticing the appearances, I prefer
to observe the teacher’s behavior; how they speak, answer, or even pronounce words.” Some other students mentioned that proper dress was necessary. Student N, for
example, admitted that for her, teachers’ beauty or handsomeness was not important at all, but getting dressed properly and neatly was. In line with Student N was Student E. She
noticed teachers’ physical appearance, and she liked teachers who wore casual clothes. Student U also stated a similar thing, that he noticed teachers’ appearance. Besides those
three students, Student R, Student O, Student A, and Student J also adored teachers with clean and neat outfit. Student D even stated that she liked teachers with good performance
and neat and fragrant clothes. These students paid attention to their teachers’ appearance. The two lecturers shared a similar idea. For them, physical appearance was not a
priority, though they admitted that some students did choose a class because of the teacher’s beauty or handsomeness. Teacher B stated, “Beauty is not important because when you are
teaching, you sell your knowledge and not your face. Moreover, everyone will have different standard of beauty or handsomeness.”
B. The importance of direct correction and feedback
