EFL teachers' perceptions of effective teaching: An exploratory study on personal practical knowledge

Personal practical knowledge is a knowledge domain combining teachers' individuality with experiences. Being aware of one's personal practical knowledge as a teacher supports him/her in many ways. The purpose of the study was to investigate EFL teachers' personal practical knowledge on their perceptions of effective teaching. With investigating EFL teachers' personal practical knowledge on effective teaching, fundamentally, the study investigates EFL teachers' (who teach in Gaziantep, Turkey) PPK on their perceptions of ineffective teaching, assessment of effective teaching and teacher behaviors in systemic problems. The study adopts a qualitative phenomenological research approach. The data were collected via semi-structured interviews and an observation form. The study group consisted of 7 EFL teachers who teach in three different state schools in Gaziantep in the academic year of 2018-2019. The data were analyzed using the inductive content analysis technique. The findings indicated that EFL teachers agreed on learners' language development from personal practical knowledge with respect to their perceptions on effective teaching. Not to be able to get students' interest is focused most by EFL teachers with respect to their perceptions on ineffective teaching. In terms of EFL teachers' assessment of effective teaching, test results were focused most from their personal practical knowledge. Learning by teaching and learner oriented teaching were focused more by EFL teachers in terms of their perceptions on an EFL teacher's effective behaviors in systemic problems.