How Can I Teach Effectively When …: An Exploration of Factors Affecting Willingness to Teach Effectively (WTTE) among EFL Teachers

Abstract

An effective teacher is defined as someone who achieves goals which either directly or indirectly focus on the learning of their students (Anderson, 1991). It goes without saying that, what can lead to a change in the behavior and learning  of the pupils is effective teaching, not a mere transmitting of knowledge. It is important to know how teachers define effective teaching and what factors they consider the most important in the course of being an efficient and successful teacher. Although many studies have investigated the issue of effective teaching in past, to the best of the researchers’ knowledge no study have investigated the factors affecting teachers’ willingness to teach effectively. This study focused on the Iranian EFL teachers’ attitude toward effectual teaching. Thirty five teachers participated in this study through filling a validated and piloted questionnaire. The results indicated that most of the teachers thought that an effective teacher tries to encourage pupil participation and gets all the students involved. The results further depicted, “Teachers’ beliefs and previous experience” was the top selected factor leading to (in)effective teaching among the subjects. The findings of this study can have important implications for teacher educators and also EFL teachers themselves.