EFL Teachers' Views on the Competencies of an Effective English Language Teacher

Teacher competencies are expressed as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that teachers need to have to fulfil their profession effectively and efficiently. Since competency is directly linked with efficient implementation in complex situations and is thought to serve as a contributing factor for success, concepts such as performance and achievement can be associated. Therefore, this qualitative study aimed to investigate the views of English language teachers working in schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education on the competencies of an effective English language teacher. The research was designed as a phenomenological study with 27 English teachers selected by convenience sampling through a written interview form administered face-to-face during a local in-service training program in the academic year 2023-2024. An inductive method was used for data analysis along with content analysis of the written reports. The results showed that the participants mostly emphasized competencies related to the teacher's instructional delivery and management of learning and teaching processes. In addition, teachers mostly emphasized competencies such as professional development approaches, communication with students and mastery of subject area knowledge. The data also showed that teachers needed to develop their language skills and teach them effectively together with the effective use of digital technologies in the teaching and learning processes.