The portrayal of “bad” teacher: A phenomenological study of Turkish trainee teachers’ experiences

Year 2023, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 791 - 826, 30.11.2023

Ergin Erginer , Ali Bostancıoğlu , Aysun Erginer , Anıl Kadir Eranıl

Abstract

Aiming to contribute towards building a collective picture of “good” teachers/teaching, the present study investigated Turkish trainee teachers’ perceptions of “bad” teachers/teaching. 182 trainee teachers completing a postgraduate certificate in education in a medium-size university in Turkey participated in the study. The data was collected via an assignment and the participants were asked to provide situational examples of their experiences with their teachers. Stages of Thematic Analysis were followed during the analysis. In relation to “bad” teachers/teaching, around one-fourth of the extracts were coded within the theme of professional (in)competencies (i.e. not paying attention to students’ skill levels), and almost three-fourths within affective qualities theme (i.e. discriminating among students) which indicated the perceived importance the latter played in student learning. The identified categories can be treated as a list of actions that can be avoided by teachers to create a more productive teaching/learning environment. The study concludes that consideration can be given to non-cognitive aspects in creating professional teaching standards and/or criteria during teacher recruitment processes.

Keywords

“bad” teacher, “good” teacher, effective teaching, teacher education

References

• American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, Amended June 1, 2010 and January 1, 2017) Access of date: 26.03.2023 http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.htm
• Arvaja, M., Sarja, A., & Rönnberg, P. (2020). Pre-service subject teachers' personal teacher characterisations after the pedagogical studies. European Journal of Teacher Education. 53(5), 1389-1411. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
• Burroughs, N. A., Gardner, J., Lee, Y., Guo, S., Touitou, I., Jansen, K., & Schmidt, W. (2019). A review of the literature on teacher effectiveness and student outcomes. In N. A. Burroughs, J. Gardner, Y. Lee, S. Guo, I. Touitou, K. Jansen, & W. Schmidt (Eds.), Teaching for excellence and equity (Vol. 6, pp. 7-17). Springer.
• Busler, J., Kirk, C., Keeley, J., & Buskist, W. (2017). What constitutes poor teaching? A preliminary inquiry into the misbehaviours of not-so-good instructors. Teaching of Psychology, 44(4), 330-334. Chin, C., & Osborne, J. (2008). Students’ questions: A potential resource for teaching and learning science. Science Education, 44, 1-39.
• Coe, R., Aloisi, C., Higgins, S., & Major, L. E. (2014). What makes great teaching? Review of the underpinning research. The Sutton Trust.
• Connell, R. (2009). Good teachers on dangerous ground: towards a new view of teacher quality and professionalism. Critical Studies in Education, 50(3), 213-229.
• Creswell, J. W. 2007. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. (2nd ed.). Sage. Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Teacher quality and student achievement: A review of state policy evidence. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 8(1), 1-44.
• Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. Sage.
• Eriksen, H., Lejonberg, E., Tschannen-Moran, M., Christophersen, K. A., & Elstad, E. (2021). Learners providing feedback on teaching: Pre-service teachers' perceptions of a teacher assessment arrangement. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 65(6), 1097-1113.
• Fajet, W., Bello, M., Leftwich, S. A., Mesler, J. L., & Shaver, A. N. (2005). Pre-service teachers’ perceptions in beginning education classes. Teaching & Teacher Education, 21, 717-727.
• Goodwin, A. L. (2021). Teaching standards, globalisation, and conceptions of teacher professionalism. European Journal of Teacher Education, 44(1), 5-19.
• Hanushek, E. A. (2011). The economic value of higher teacher quality. Economics of Education Review, 30(3), 466-479.
• Hanushek, E. A., & Rivkin, S. G. (2010). The quality and distribution of teachers under the no child left behind act. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 24(3), 133-150.
• Harris, D. N., & Rutledge, S. A. (2010). Models and predictors of teacher effectiveness: A comparison of research about teaching and other occupations. Teachers College Record, 112, 914-960.
• Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of 800+ meta analyses on achievement. Routledge.
• Havik, T., & Westergard, E. (2020). Do teachers matter? Students’ perceptions of classroom interactions and student engagement. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 64(4), 488-507. Kaur, B. (2009). Characteristics of good mathematics teaching in Singapore grade 8 classrooms: A juxtaposition of teachers’ practice and students’ perception. ZDM, 41(3), 333-347.
• Klassen, R. M., & Kim, L. E. (2017). Assessing critical attributes of prospective teachers: Implications for selection into initial teacher education programs. In W. Putwain & K. Smart (Eds.), British journal of educational psychology monograph series II: Psychological aspects of education (pp. 5-22). Wiley.
• Koechlin, C., & Zwaan, S. (2014). Q tasks: How to empower students to ask questions and care about answers. Pembroke Publishers Limited.
• Korkmazgil, S., & Seferoğlu, G. (2021). Teacher professionalism: Insights from Turkish teachers of English into the motives that drive and sustain their professional practices. Journal of Education for Teaching, 47(3), 366-378.
• Kumashiro, K. K. (2012). Bad teacher! How blaming teachers distorts the bigger picture. Teachers College. Lazardies, R., Buchholz, J., & Rubach, C. (2018). Teacher enthusiasm and self-efficacy, student-perceived mastery goal orientation, and student motivation in mathematics classrooms. Teaching & Teacher Education, 69, 1-10.
• Lupascu, A. R., Panisoara, G., & Panisoara, I. O. (2014). Characteristics of effective teacher. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 127, 534-538.
• Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. Sage. Murray, S. (2011). Secondary students' descriptions of "good" mathematics teachers. Australian Mathematics Teacher, 67(4), 14-20.
• Ng, P. T. (2015). What is quality education? How can it be achieved? The perspectives of school middle leaders in Singapore. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 27, 307-322.
• Nussbaum, J. F. (1992). Effective teacher behaviors. Communication Education and Science, 41(2), 167-180. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development [OECD]. (2005). Teachers matter: Attracting developing and retaining effective teachers. Access of date: 26.03.2023. https://www.oecd.org/education/school/34990905.pdf
• Orhan-Özen, S. (2017). The effect of motivation on student achievement. In E. Karadağ (Ed.), The factors effecting student achievement (pp. 35-56). Springer International.
• Raufelder, D., Nitsche, L., Breitmeyer, S., Kessler, S., Herrmann, E., & Regner, N. (2016). Students’ perception of “good” and “bad” teachers: Results of a qualitative thematic analysis with German adolescents. International Journal of Educational Research, 75, 31-44. Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4-14. Smith, E., & Yasukawa, K. (2017). What makes a good VET teacher? Views of Australian VET teachers and students. International Journal of Training Research, 15(1), 23-40.
• Strikwerda-Brown, J., Oliver, R., Hodgson, D., Palmer, M., & Watts, L. (2008). Good teachers/ bad teachers: How rural adolescent students' views of teachers impact on their school experiences. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 33(6), 29-43.
• Stronge, J. H., Ward, T., & Grant, L. W. (2011). What makes good teachers good? A cross-case analysis of the connection between teacher effectiveness and student achievement. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(4), 339-355.
• Suplicz, S. (2009). What makes a teacher bad? Trait and learnt factors of teachers' competencies. Acta Polytechnica Hungarica, 6(3), 123-138.
• Tang, S. Y. F., Wong, A. K. Y., & Cheng, M. H. (2015). The preparation of highly motivated and professionally competent teachers in initial teacher education. Journal of Education for Teaching, 41(2), 128-144. Walker, R. J. (2008). 12 Characteristics of an effective teacher. Lulu.
• Witcher, A., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Minor, L. C. (2001). Characteristics of effective teachers: Perceptions of preservice teachers. Research in the Schools, 8, 45-57.