A comparative study of Grades 10 and 11 students' perceptions of English teacher effectiveness in Lai Za High School and Mai Ja Yang High School in Kachin State, Myanmar

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: firstly, to determine Grades 10 and 11 students’ perceptions of English teacher effectiveness using Danielson’s (2011) framework for teaching model and its domains (i.e., planning and preparation, classroom environment, and instruction) in Lai Za High School and Mai Ja Yang High School in Kachin State, Myanmar; and secondly, to identify whether there were significant differences in Grade 10, Grade 11, and Grades 10 and 11 students’ perceptions of English teacher effectiveness between the same schools. This quantitative study used the Students’ Perceptions of Teacher Effectiveness Questionnaire (SPTEQ, Sprague, 2013). The respondents were 184 Grades 10 and 11 students in Lai Za High School and 220 Grades 10 and 11 students in Mai Ja Yang High School during the academic year 2017-2018. The research findings indicated that, in Lai Za High School, on average, Grade 10 students perceived their English teachers as neither effective nor ineffective, while Grade 11 students perceived their English teachers as effective. In Mai Ja Yang High School, both Grades 10 and 11 students, on average, perceived their English teachers as effective. Independent samples t-tests revealed that there were significant differences in Grade 10 and Grades 10 and 11 students’ perceptions of English teacher effectiveness between Lai Za High School and Mai Ja Yang High School, whereas no significant difference in Grade 11 students’ perceptions of English teacher effectiveness was noted between Lai Za High School and Mai Ja Yang High School.