Qualities of Teachers in Commercial English Language Centres: Implications for EFL Teacher Education and Professional Development

Commercial English language centres (CEC) that provide English tuition services have recently boomed in many Asian countries, employing both local and foreign EFL teachers. However, the qualities of EFL teachers in these centres are often under-investigated. This article presents a study conducted in Southern Vietnam that aimed to (i) identify teacher qualities that facilitate students’ English studies in CEC and (ii) measure the levels of these teacher qualities to detect qualities that need to be improved, based on students’ perceptions. The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 EFL students. Content analysis of qualitative data showed that from students’ perspectives, their English learning could be facilitated by 12 teacher quality categories. A survey was sent to 339 students requiring them to rank the importance of these 12 quality categories in terms of facilitating their learning. In the second stage, items were written to depict the 12 quality categories, which were also used to measure the qualities of English teachers in CEC. These items were incorporated in a survey and administered to 1135 EFL students. Descriptive statistical analyses showed that in students’ experiences, teachers in CEC had attained a relatively high level in most of the 12 quality categories. Results of independent samples T-tests showed that there were discrepancies in the qualities possessed by foreign and local EFL teachers as well as between teachers who taught different levels of English. The study also revealed that there were pedagogical, cultural and business-related aspects that teachers in CEC need to improve. This article discusses some implications for English teacher education, and English teacher professional development in the business environment of CEC.