Abstract
Teachers are the core component of teaching and learning a second or foreign language; therefore, they should know what the learners consider as the most effective teachers’ characteristics which may enhance their learning. Accordingly, the main aim of the present study was to compare field dependent and field independent Iranian learners in terms of their perceptions about effective language teaching. Fifty intermediate Iranian learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) participated in this study and three instruments were utilized to collect the data. The first instrument was Oxford Placement Test (OPT, 2001) to test the homogeneity of the EFL learners. The second instrument was Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) to classify field dependent learners from field independent ones and the third instrument was an effective EFL teaching questionnaire to record the participants’ perceptions of effective EFL teaching. The obtained results revealed that field dependent and field independent learners had different expectations in class. That is, for field dependent learners, confidence and open-mindedness in class were important characteristics of an effective teacher while for field independent learners, teachers’ knowledge and proficiency were important. Indeed, there was no significant difference between the perceptions of field dependent participants and the field independent EFL learners about the overall characteristics of an effective teacher. Knowing EFL learners’ cognitive styles can open new insights in the second language (L2) domain and lead to more influential teaching.
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