Abstract

The primary objectives of this research were to explore if teacher candidates studying in teacher training programs at the undergraduate level have had teachers who they perceived to be effective, the characteristics of these teachers that underlie the perception of effectiveness, and whether these teachers have had any influence in the students’ selection of teaching profession and their program of study. The research sample is composed of 554 teacher candidates (undergraduate students) studying at various departments of the College of Education of Ondokuz Mayıs University. The sample composition is 352 female and 203 male students. Of the students comprising the sample, 269 are freshmen and 285 are seniors. Personal Data Form and Effective Teacher Qualities Survey, both of which developed by the researcher, were used for data collection. Results obtained through data analysis reveal that 94.8% of teacher candidates have had teachers they perceived to be effective in their educational experience, spanning from elementary school to university. The ratio of having effective teachers have been found to be higher for females compared to males, senior year students compared to freshman year students, and in the Department of Foreign Language Education compared to other departments. Of the sample, 57% of teacher candidates have indicated that the teachers they perceive to be effective have had an influence on their choice of profession and program of study. This influence is observed to be higher for females compared to males. While the majority of the teacher candidates expressed preference for “warm, kind, sincere, friendly, sociable and familiar” teachers; most frequently top ranked effective teacher characteristics was, “enthusiastic, excited about teaching, dynamic, and motivates students to learn”. The highest ranked teacher characteristics varied based on teacher candidates’ gender, current grade level, and department of study.

Key words: Teacher candidate, teacher effectiveness, effective teacher.