The investigation of the perceptions of senior year pre-service ELT students towards the effectiveness of lecturers at universities

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of senior-year pre-service ELT students (also known as pre-service EFL teachers) towards the effectiveness of their lecturers considering their genders. 104 pre-service EFL teachers from different universities studying English Language Teaching in Ankara, Turkey and 9 lecturers from different universities in Ankara, Turkey participated in this study. Data from pre-service EFL teachers were collected through questionnaires and from lecturers with structured interviews. The results showed that male pre-service EFL teachers' perceptions of lecturers in terms of gender did not show any significant difference between female and male lecturers. However, female pre-service EFL teachers gave higher scores to their male lecturers for several items. In terms of effectiveness and student expectations, male lecturers obtained a lower score among pre-service EFL teachers for showing interest and making learning fun although they stated that they are curious about their students' backgrounds and interests, and they have the intention of making classes more enjoyable. Nevertheless, they added that they make an effort to incorporate effective communication into their lessons and they were given more credit for having strong communication abilities. Both male and female lecturers obtained lower scores for flexibility from pre-service EFL teachers despite their assurances that they incorporate a variety of activities and tailor their schedules and syllabi to the needs and expectations of their students as well as the course material. Additionally, female lecturers were given a lower score despite claiming that they solicit student feedback to help them develop their classes or syllabi and that they are open to constructive criticism. As they also mentioned that they are interested in their students' needs, interests, and backgrounds, they obtained a higher score for actively listening to students. Regarding the questionnaire and interview data, pre-service EFL teachers gave similar scores for several items to both male and female lecturers, and the lecturers' claims showed that they impose effective teaching into their classes, which showed that there is no relationship between gender and teaching effectiveness. However, the differences among the scores they obtained for some of the items showed that gender and teaching effectiveness have a relationship.