Vol. 3 July 2012 Print ISSN 2244-1476 Online ISSN 2244-1484 International Peer Reviewed Journal doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7718/iamure.ije.v3i1.

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Effective Teacher Characteristics in Higher Education from Students Perspective: An Exploratory Factor Analysis
GLENN M. CALAGUAS glenn_calaguas@yahoo.com Pampanga Agricultural College Magalang, Pampanga, Philippines Abstract - Teachers are an important resource in any educational system and such is true to all levels of education, thus, what characteristics are associated with effective teachers in higher education? Said question prompted the conduct of this study. Specifically, this study identified characteristics associated with effective teachers in higher education which can later be used in the conduct of researches on teaching effectiveness. Extant literature on effective teacher characteristics published between the years 2000 to 2009 in the Philippines and abroad were reviewed and served as bases for the development of a 107-item questionnaire. The items in the questionnaire were initially grouped into six major themes identified during the literature review: Personality, Subject Matter Expertise, Relational Competence, Professional Competence, Teaching Style, and Classroom Management Style. The questionnaire was administered to 497 college students in a state college in the Philippines. The responses of the 497 college students in the 107-item questionnaire were subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis. It was revealed that effective teacher characteristics in higher education can be further reduced into four major themes which were labeled as Teachingrelated Behavior, Relational Expertise, Subject Matter Expertise, and Personality. Labeling was done based on the common themes of items in each cluster.
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Keywords - characteristics, effective teachers, exploratory factor analysis, higher education, state college, students perspective INTRODUCTION Education plays an essential role in the lives of people. This is because education is important in national development. Also, education is believed to be a major vehicle for change, modernization, and production (Rao & Kumar, 2004) and serve as means to a better understanding of the human experience. This better understanding of the human experience can pave the way for the reduction of poverty, exclusion, ignorance, oppression, and war (Burnett, 2008). Indeed, education is important. Specifically, to be educated is considered important and it is a known fact that the educational process will never be complete without teachers. Teachers and their actual teachings create impact in the educational process and in the lives of students. It must be recognized though that teaching is a complicated and demanding activity. It requires the inclusion of actual experiences and the development of materials that can give more meaning to learning, skills, and attitudes (Awofala, 2012). Generally, teachers occupy the most important part in the process (Rao & Kumar, 2004). Importance of Effective Teachers Since teachers are important in the educational process, their effectiveness must at all times be monitored and guaranteed. Teaching effectiveness may be defined as producing the required results that are a reflection of teachers and the objectives of education through tangible changes in students learning (Awofala, 2012). From the definition of teaching effectiveness alone, the important role that teachers play is already obvious. In better understanding effective teachers, undoubtedly, there are some characteristics associated with them. Such characteristics need to be identified, with the aid of students, in order to guarantee the quality of the learning process. And once identified, teachers themselves can use such characteristics as guide to be more effective in teaching. Rao
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and Kumar (2004) assumed that teacher effectiveness is important in every educational institution because it is tantamount to the actual performance of teachers (Awofala, 2012). Importance of Awareness In determining characteristics associated with effective teachers, the perspective of students is important. Berk (2005) identified that student ratings is one of the 12 potential sources of evidence of the effectiveness of teachers. Knowing the perspective of students regarding characteristics associated with effective teachers in higher education can help teachers be aware of what is expected from them and can be compared to how they actually perform. Making such comparisons can lead to self-awareness and eventually improvement for the better. Awareness among teachers is important. This is because the awareness of the self is a critical element in the development of teachers. Richardson and Shupe (2003) attested that it is synonymous to the understanding of ones emotional processes and behaviors and how such affects students. As accentuated by Bailey, Curtis and Nunan (2002), the cornerstones of all professional development are self-awareness and self-observations. Richardson and Shupe (2003) in addition said that once teachers have better awareness of themselves, they can be more effective and satisfied with their jobs. Conducting a Study on Effective Teachers It is safe to say that much has changed in the educational process in particular and the system in general. These changes can be attributed to the advent of new technologies. But one thing is still obvious and for sure remains, schools are not only brick-and-mortar structures and computer-controlled entities. Instead, schools are centers of lifelong learning where teachers are at the core, that is why, since much is expected from teachers, teachers constantly need to be at their best. The idea that teachers play important roles in the educational process is very much evident in extant literature (e.g. Akintayo & Iwoye, 2008; Bustos-Orosa, 2008; Lacang, 2007; Magno & Sembrano,
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2007; Malikow, 2006; Minor et al., 2002; Raymond, 2008; Reyes, 2000; Sanchez, 2007). However, it must be noted that even extant literature on the subject matter were available, still, a study on characteristics associated with effective teachers was important especially when there was a need to validate whether characteristics identified by earlier authors were indeed true to the local setting and to the perspective of higher education students, thus, this study was conducted. FRAMEWORK Extant literature on characteristics associated with effective teachers published between the years 2000 to 2009 in the Philippines and abroad were reviewed. This was done in order to be guided accordingly in the preparation of a questionnaire on effective teacher characteristics which is the main tool used in this study. Initial themes that emerged from the review on effective teacher characteristics can be divided into six major themes. These identified themes were used as guide in the construction of items in the questionnaire and were as follows: Personality, Subject Matter Expertise, Relational Competence, Professional Competence, Teaching Style, and Classroom Management Style. Personality. Authors that gave due recognition to personality to be associated with effective teachers was Akintayo and Iwoye (2008), Bustos-Orosa (2008), Magno and Sembrano (2007), Malikow (2006), Raymond (2008), and Sanchez (2007). Personality characteristics associated with effective teachers includes being caring, kind, compassionate, bold, aggressive, an extrovert, active, energetic, strong, relaxed, practical, predictable, reasonable, gracious, wise, decisive, stable, rational, challenging, enthusiastic, creative, respectful, friendly, reflective, charismatic, having sense of humor, concern of students successes, and good prior academic performance. Subject Matter Expertise. Authors that gave due recognition to subject matter expertise to be associated with effective teachers were Lacang (2007), Magno and Sembrano (2007), Minor et al. (2002), and Reyes (2000). Subject matter expertise is manifested by being knowledgeable
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of subject matter, delivering well-prepared lessons, being an expert, having content mastery, and the ability to teach many subjects. Relational Competence (with students). Authors that gave due recognition to relational competence with students to be associated with effective teachers were Bustos-Orosa (2008), Magno and Sembrano (2007), Reyes (2000), and Sanchez (2007). Relational competence with students is manifested by having the ability to establish rapport, maintain harmonious relationships, being sensitive, open-minded, accepting, interacting affectionately with students, initiating teacherstudent relationships, helping students, believing in students, recognizing the potentials of students. Professional Competence. Authors that gave due recognition to professional competence to be associated with effective teachers were Lacang (2007), Reyes (2000), Magno and Sembrano (2007), and Minor et al. (2002). Professional competence is manifested by being dedicated to work, ethical, passionate about work, fair, positive role model, and having a sense of integrity. Teaching Style. Authors that gave due recognition to teaching style to be associated with effective teachers were Malikow (2006), Minor et al. (2002), Reyes (2000), and Sanchez (2007). Teaching styles associated with effective teachers are manifested by explaining complicated material well, flexible instructional style, being student-centered, having instructional clarity, using varied instructional strategies, effective in using of instructional equipment, integrating values in lessons, giving homework, showing love for subject taught, encouraging the asking of questions, encouraging discussions, teaching in an organized manner, developing sense of responsibility among the students, being a good communicator, and making classes interesting. Classroom Management Style. Authors that gave due recognition to classroom management style to be associated with effective teachers were Minor et al. (2002) and Sanchez (2007). Classroom management style associated with effective teachers includes maintaining students on task behavior, not yelling at students, modeling positive behaviors,
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always maintaining discipline, rewarding good behaviors, and creating safe environment. The review of extant literature clearly shows several major themes. These themes are important because they provided the framework needed for the better understanding of the subject matter being investigated. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY This study generally aimed to identify characteristics associated with effective teachers in higher education from students perspective. Specifically, this study aimed to: 1. Identify characteristics of effective teachers based on extant literature; and 2. Validate such characteristics identified using students perspective. MATERIALS AND METHOD Literature Review Extant literature on characteristics associated with effective teachers published in the Philippines and abroad between the years 2000 to 2009 were reviewed. It must be noted however that said literature were not limited to characteristics of effective teachers in higher education but in all levels. Identification of Themes The initial themes that emerged from the review of extant literature on effective teacher characteristics can be categorized into six major themes namely: Personality, Subject Matter Expertise, Relational Competence, Professional Competence, Teaching Style, and Classroom Management Style. These themes served as guide in the construction of items in the questionnaire.
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Item Writing A total of 107 items were written based on the six initial major themes identified from the review of extant literature with the following breakdown: Personality (25 items), Subject Matter Expertise (10 items), Relational Competence with Students (18 items), Professional Competence (10 items), Teaching Style (32 items), and Classroom Management Style (12 items). Participants of the Study There were 497 college students who participated in this study. All of them were enrolled in a state college during the First Semester of School Year 2011-2012. Said participants were chosen via systematic random sampling and students who were asked to participate in the study were second year students and above. The main reason for doing such is because of the assumption that said students were very much aware already of how learning should take place in higher education. There were 304 females and 193 males. Their mean age was 18.63 with a standard deviation of 2.05. The 497 student-participants came from the following programs: Doctor in Veterinary Medicine (Second Year)- 22, Doctor in Veterinary Medicine (Third Year)- 13, Doctor in Veterinary Medicine (Fourth Year)10, Bachelor of Arts in English (Fourth Year)- 22, Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (Fourth Year)- 14, Bachelor of Science in Biology (Fourth Year)- 22, Bachelor of Science in Development Communication (Fourth Year)- 14, Bachelor of Science in Home Technology (Second Year)- 71, Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management (Second Year)- 73, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Third Year)- 55, Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering (Fourth Year)- 6, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (Third Year)- 106, and Bachelor in Elementary Education (Second Year)- 69. Questionnaire Administration The questionnaire was administered to 497 student-participants per program during the later part of the First Semester of the School Year 2011-2012.
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Descriptive Statistics With the responses of the student-participants in the questionnaire as bases, the means and standard deviations of the items included in the questionnaire were computed to be able to know the most and least agreed statements. Factor Analysis To analyze the responses of the 497 student-participants in the questionnaire, Exploratory Factor Analysis was used with Principal Components Analysis and Varimax Rotation (with Kaiser Normalization). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The main goal of this study was to determine characteristics associated with effective teachers in higher education with focus on the perspective of students. The study started with a review extant literature on characteristics associated with effective teachers published in the Philippines and abroad between the years 2000 to 2009. All of the reviewed literature focused on effective teacher characteristics in all levels. The review of extant literature paved the way for the identification of six major themes that served as bases for the writing of 107 items in the questionnaire which was administered to 497 student-participants who were in their second year in college and up. The means and standard deviations of the responses of the studentparticipants were computed. With the means as bases, the most and least-agreed of the statements were identified and are presented in Tables 1 and 2. Table 1. Items in the questionnaire with the highest means
Item No. 6 46
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Statement Respects others. Respects students.

M 3.52 3.50

SD 0.67 0.63

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47 14 75 7 73 74 90 81 62

Accepts students. Shows concern for others. Answers students questions. Accepts others. Gives instructions clearly. Encourages students to analyze lessons. Announces requirements ahead of time. Encourages students to be hard working. Serves as positive role model to students.

3.46 3.46 3.43 3.43 3.43 3.43 3.41 3.41 3.41

0.63 0.63 0.61 0.64 0.64 0.63 0.61 0.65 0.64

It can be observed in Table 1 that the first five items with the highest means pertain to respecting others, respecting students, accepting students, showing concern for students, and answering students questions. Among the 11 most-agreed items, 10 were retained after factor analysis. These were items 6, 7, 14, 47, 62, 73, 74, 75, 81, and 90. Table 2. Items in the questionnaire with the lowest means
Item No. 8 42 10 9 11 24 25 3 Statement Manifests charisma. Solicits students feedback. Manifests an outgoing personality. Exhibits grace under pressure. Uses reason more than emotions. Shows predictability of actions. Spends time reflecting. Knows what one really wants. M 2.96 3.00 3.01 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.06 3.06 SD 0.67 0.75 0.65 0.63 0.74 0.66 0.67 0.64

On the other hand, it can be observed from Table 2 that the first five items with the lowest means pertain to manifesting charisma, soliciting students feedback, manifesting outgoing personality, exhibiting grace under pressure, and using reason more than emotions. However, out of the eight items with the lowest means, five were still retained after factor analysis. These were items 8, 9, 10, 24, and 25. The responses of the 497 student-participants in the 107-item questionnaire were further analyzed using Exploratory Factor
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Analysis. It must be noted that the items in the questionnaire were initially grouped into six major themes identified during the literature review. These initial major themes were: Personality, Subject Matter Expertise, Relational Competence, Professional Competence, Teaching Style, and Classroom Management Style. However, after Exploratory Factor Analysis, it was revealed that effective teacher characteristics in higher education can be further reduced into four major themes. Items with factor loadings lower that 0.50 were the ones eliminated. New labels given were: Teaching-Related Behavior, Relational Expertise, Subject Matter Expertise, and Personality. Table 3 to 6 presents the result of the Exploratory Factor Analysis conducted. Table 3. Teaching-related behavior
Item No. 49 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 65 67 68 70 72 73 74 Statement Believes in the potentials of students. Shows passion for teaching. Does not violate school policies. Observes norms of conduct in the teaching profession. Gives appropriate assessment of students. Observes ethical conduct in the teaching profession. Shows dedication to the teaching profession. Serves as positive role model to students. Commands respect from students. Elicits enthusiasm among students when teaching. Incorporates creativity in delivering of lessons. Communicates ideas effectively. Provides students with activities relevant to lessons. Shows love for teaching while discussing. Gives instructions clearly. Encourages students to analyze lessons. Factor Loading 0.52 0.54 0.55 0.53 0.58 0.53 0.57 0.63 0.57 0.52 0.55 0.54 0.56 0.58 0.52 0.55

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75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 89 90 91 92 94 96 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105

Answers students questions. Links lessons to real life situations. Makes learning enjoyable for students. Manages time in the classroom well. Welcomes students participation in classroom discussions. Encourages students to be hard working. Uses a variety of instructional strategies. Observes flexibility of instructional style to be able to fit to the different needs of students. Gives plenty of examples relevant to lessons. Takes into consideration students moral development in lessons taught. Provides activities aimed at developing critical thinking among students. Gives a lot of activities that encourage students to assume responsibility. Sets realistic goals for students to accomplish. Announces requirements ahead of time. Uses instructional equipment/materials effectively. Exhibits the ability to attend to a lot of concerns while teaching. Chooses relevant strategies to maximize students learning gains. Sets classroom rules for students to follow. Shows firmness in the implementation of classroom discipline. Rewards positive behaviors. Acknowledges positive behaviors. Shows keenness to inappropriate behaviors. Corrects inappropriate behaviors. Responds at once to issues involving discipline. Sees to it that students are always on task.

0.55 0.58 0.54 0.61 0.56 0.55 0.54 0.60 0.54 0.57 0.59 0.51 0.54 0.54 0.56 0.56 0.60 0.58 0.55 0.54 0.58 0.59 0.55 0.58 0.55

Interacts with students during class discussions. 0.53

Gives importance to discipline in the classroom. 0.59

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106 107

Does not yell at students. Tries to know the concerns of students who misbehave.

0.52 0.53

Total Items= 45 Eigenvalue= 20.34 Percentage of Variance= 19.01 Cumulative Percent of Variance= 19.01

It can be observed from Table 3 that the largest cluster of items came from Teaching- Related Behavior. Teaching-Related Behavior is reflected on the forty-five items (49, 56-63, 65, 67, 68, 70, 72-87, 8992, 94, 96, 98-107) of the questionnaire administered to the studentparticipants. This covers items that reflect believing in the potential of students, showing passion for teaching, not violating school policies, observing norms of conduct in the teaching profession, giving appropriate assessment of students, observing ethical conduct in the teaching profession, showing dedication to the teaching profession, serving as positive role model to students, commanding respect from students, eliciting enthusiasm among students when teaching, incorporating creativity in delivering of lessons, communicating ideas effectively, providing students with activities relevant to lessons, showing love for teaching while discussing, giving of instructions clearly, encouraging students to analyze lessons, answering students questions, linking lessons to real life situations, making learning enjoyable for students, interacting with students during class discussions, managing of time, welcoming students participation in classroom discussions, encouraging students to be hardworking, using a variety of instructional strategies, observing flexibility of instructional style to be able to fit to the different needs of students, giving plenty of examples relevant to lessons, taking into consideration students moral development in lessons taught, providing of activities aimed at developing critical thinking among students, giving a lot of activities that encourage students to assume responsibility, setting realistic goals for students to accomplish, announcing of requirements ahead of time, using of instructional equipment/ materials effectively, exhibiting the ability to attend to a lot of concerns while teaching, choosing relevant strategies to maximize students learning gains, setting classroom rules for students to follow, showing firmness in the
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implementation of classroom discipline, rewarding positive behaviors, acknowledging positive behaviors, showing keenness to inappropriate behaviors, correcting inappropriate behaviors, responding at once to issues involving discipline, seeing to it that students are always on task, giving importance to discipline in the classroom, not yelling at students, and trying to know the concerns of students who misbehave. Teaching-related Behaviors accounted for 19.01 percent of variance. Table 4. Subject matter expertise
Item No. 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Statement Always prepared when holding classes. Shows mastery of lessons taught. Knows a lot of information about lessons taught. Manifests expertise in lessons taught. Shares a lot of interesting ideas related to lessons taught. Displays authority when teaching. Knows how to answer questions raised about lessons taught. Shows thorough understanding of lessons taught. Shares information that are only relevant to lessons taught. Exhibits ability to teach a lot of academic subjects. Factor Loading 0.59 0.67 0.66 0.58 0.61 0.51 0.62 0.60 0.52 0.52

Total Items= 10 Eigenvalue= 8.78 Percentage of Variance= 8.21 Cumulative Percent of Variance= 27.22

As observed in Table 4, Subject Matter Expertise had the second largest cluster of items. Subject Matter Expertise is reflected on the ten items (26-35) of the questionnaire administered to the studentparticipants. This cover items that reflect being always prepared when holding classes, showing mastery of lessons taught, knowing a lot of information about lessons taught, manifesting expertise in lessons taught, sharing a lot of interesting ideas related to lessons taught,
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displaying authority when teaching, knowing how to answer questions raised about lessons taught, showing thorough understanding of lessons taught, sharing information that are relevant only to lessons taught, and exhibiting the ability to teach a lot of academic subjects. Subject Matter Expertise accounted for 8.21 percent of variance. Table 5. Relational expertise
Item No. 5 6 7 13 14 15 47 Statement Displays kindness for others. Respects others. Accepts others. Thinks thoroughly before decisions are made. Shows concern for others. Displays friendly attitude towards others. Accepts students. Factor Loading 0.53 0.62 0.63 0.55 0.63 0.55 0.55

Total Items= 7 Eigenvalue= 8.37 Percentage of Variance= 7.82 Cumulative Percent of Variance= 35.04

As observed in Table 5, Relational Expertise had the third largest cluster of items. Relational Expertise is reflected on the seven items (5-7, 13-15, 47) of the questionnaire administered to the student-participants. This cover items that reflect displaying kindness for others, respecting others, accepting others, thinking thoroughly of decisions before being made, showing concern for others, displaying friendly attitude toward others, and accepting students. Relational Expertise accounted for 7.82 percent of variance. Table 6. Personality
Item No. 8 9 10
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Statement Manifests charisma. Exhibits grace under pressure. Manifests an outgoing personality.

Factor Loading 0.54 0.54 0.52

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24 25

Shows predictability of actions. Spends time reflecting.

0.58 0.57

Total Items= 5 Eigenvalue= 6.76 Percentage of Variance= 6.32 Cumulative Percent of Variance= 41.36

As observed in Table 6, Personality had the least cluster of items. Personality is reflected on the five items (8-10, 24-25) of the questionnaire administered to the student-participants. This cover items that reflect manifesting charisma, exhibiting grace under pressure, manifesting an outgoing personality, showing predictability of actions, and spending time reflecting. Personality accounted for 6.32 percent of variance. The emergent factors of the present study: teaching-related behavior, relational expertise, subject matter expertise, and personality were labeled such because of the common themes of the items that were subsumed in them. The goal of the study was to identify effective teacher characteristics in higher education with special focus on the perspective of students. To achieve the goal of the study, a questionnaire was created with the items in it initially grouped into six major themes which were identified during the literature review. These major themes were Personality, Subject Matter Expertise, Relational Competence, Professional Competence, Teaching Style, and Classroom Management Style. However, as the results of the study revealed after Exploratory Factor Analysis, effective teacher characteristics in higher education can be further reduced to these major themes: Teaching-Related Behavior, Relational Expertise, Subject Matter Expertise, and Personality. Teaching-related behaviors are indeed very important to effectively teach in higher education especially when students are the ones who identified such. This is so because students spend most of the time with teachers and are always in the right position to say which behaviors contribute to learning and which do not. It is wise to say therefore that the behaviors being exhibited by teachers, although sometimes unintentional and not known to teachers, affect the learning process. Behaviors viewed to be contributory to learning must be honed and those that do not must be corrected. Just like teaching-related behaviors, relational expertise is also
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important to effectively teach in higher education. Calaguas and Dizon (2010) concluded that social competency or the ability to relate well with others is positively correlated with exemplary performance in higher education. This is so because teachers most of the time deal with students and with other colleagues, and the ability to relate well with others is a must in the teaching profession. Other previous authorities who have recognized the importance of relational expertise in the teaching profession includes Bustos-Orosa (2008), Magno and Sembrano (2007), Reyes (2000), and Sanchez (2007). Equally important to effectively teach in higher education is subject matter expertise. Those who teach in higher education are considered experts in their respective fields and must therefore be able to communicate effectively and transfer whatever they know to their students. Much is expected from those who teach in higher education and since students in higher education know a lot already, they can easily decipher whether teachers really have mastery of what they teach. This is the main reason why subject matter expertise is associated with effective teachers in higher education. Previous authorities who have recognized the importance of subject matter expertise in the teaching profession includes Lacang (2007), Magno and Sembrano (2007), Minor et al. (2002), and Reyes (2000). The personality of the teacher is also important to teach effectively in higher education. In this study, personality traits identified to be associated with effective teachers were charisma, grace under pressure, outgoing, predictability of actions, and spending time reflecting. Therefore, these traits must be possessed by those who teach in higher education. Previous authorities who have recognized the importance of personality were Akintayo and Iwoye (2008), Bustos-Orosa (2008), Magno and Sembrano (2007), Malikow (2006), Raymond (2008), and Sanchez (2007). In the light of the findings in this study, teachers in higher education may thus work out useful strategies that will enhance and reflect, if not embrace characteristics associated with effective teachers in higher education. In order for teaching to be truly effective, especially in higher education, teachers need constant reflections and observations which can lead to self-awareness. These self-reflections on effective teacher characteristics can be done when there is a guide available.
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The results of this study therefore can provide such guidance. Bailey, Curtis and Nunan (2001) asserted that the cornerstone of all professional development is self-awareness. In relation, Nowack and Heller (2001) affirmed that awareness is necessary for any behavioral change. If awareness is not present, any change in behavior will only be at random. With the importance of self-awareness in the teaching profession, it is therefore imperative to increase teachers self-awareness and this could be done through feedback. Self-reflections will be beneficial in the sense that self-awareness will help teachers understand how their behaviors affect them and their students as well. Also constant evaluation is a requirement for excellence. As Ellington (2000) maintained, teachers need to constantly monitor and evaluate their own performances if they want to become excellent teachers, and only by doing such can they tell whether they have been really effective. It can be done in three basic ways: by reflecting deeply and critically on ones performance as facilitator of students learning, through feedback from students, and through feedback from colleagues. The results of this study can be treated as actual feedback from students. Knowing the characteristics associated with effective teachers is important in the educational process in general. These characteristics once present in teachers after honest self-reflections must be honed and developed further. On the other hand, if the mentioned characteristics are not yet present, attention must be focused on trying to attain them to make sure students are not short-changed and be given the best. In the end, aside from teachers directly benefiting from the results of this study, the academe also stands to benefit from the insights presented as they can move their university/ college framework in general and teacher seminars in particular towards highlighting the four major themes: Teaching-Related Behavior, Relational Expertise, Subject Matter Expertise, and Personality that emerged from Exploratory Factor Analysis conducted in this study. CONCLUSIONS Extant literature suggests that characteristics associated with
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effective teachers can be grouped into six major themes. These themes include Personality, Subject Matter Expertise, Relational Competence, Professional Competence, Teaching Style, and Classroom Management Style. However, based on the findings of this study, characteristics associated with effective teachers in higher education based on the perspective of students can be further reduced into four major themes, namely: Teaching-Related Behavior, Relational Expertise, Subject Matter Expertise, and Personality. These major themes are important because they clearly reflect what students in higher education consider significant for them to effectively learn. Therefore, said themes are essential parameters in determining teachers who teach effectively in higher education. RECOMMENDATIONS This study has three recommendations. First, since the result of the Exploratory Factor Analysis conducted using the responses of 497 college students have identified four major themes (TeachingRelated Behavior, Relational Expertise, Subject Matter Expertise, and Personality); it is therefore recommended that said themes serve as salient features in identifying effective teachers in higher education. Second, it is recommended that teachers performance evaluations to be responded by college students be designed with reference to the themes identified in this study. Last, it is recommended that this study be replicated in other colleges and universities whether in the Philippines or abroad to compare and contrast results so that thorough understanding of characteristics associated with effective teachers in higher education be achieved. LITERATURE CITED Akintayo, D. I. & A. Iwoye 2008 Influence of Teacher`s Personality and Instructional Strategy on Perceived Academic Performance of Participants in Professional Education in Nigerian Universities. Proceedings of the EABR & TLC Conferences Proceedings Rothenberg, Germany.
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Awofala, A. O. 2012 Development and factorial structure of students evaluation of teaching effectiveness scale in mathematics. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 7 (1), pp. 33-44. Bailey, K. M., Curtis, A. & Nunan, D. 2002 Pursuing professional development: The self as source. Boston: TeacherSource. Berk, R. A. 2005 Survey of 12 Strategies to Measure Teaching Effectiveness. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 17 (1), pp. 48-62. Burnett, N. 2008 The Delors report: A guide towards education for all. European Journal of Education, 43(2), 181-187. Bustos-Orosa, M. A. 2008 Inquiring into Filipino teachers conceptions of good teaching: A qualitative research study. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 17(2), 157-171. Calaguas, G. M. & C. S. Dizon 2010 The relationship between social competence and faculty performance: An exploratory study. AUF Graduate Journal, 42, 3-21. Ellington, H. 2000 How to become an excellent tertiary-level teacher. Seven golden rules for university and college lecturers. UK Journal of Further and Higher Education, 24 (3), 311-321. Lacang, A. A. 2007 Competencies and characteristics of effective teachers. Kinaadman, 18(1), 136-137.
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Magno, C. & J. Sembrano 2007 The role of teacher efficacy and characteristics on teaching effectiveness, performance, and use of learner-centered practices. The Asia Pacific-Education Researcher, 16(1), 73-90. Malikow, M. 2006 Effective teacher study. National Forum of Teacher Education Journal- Electronic, 16(3), 1-9. Minor, L. C., A. E. Witcher, , T. L. James, & A. J. Onwuegbuzie 2002 Preservice teachers educational beliefs and their perceptions of characteristics of effective teachers. The Journal of Educational Research, 96(2), 116-127. Nowack, K. M. & B. Heller 2001 Executive coaching: How to successfully change behavior. Trainingmag.com Rao, D. B. & D. N. Kumar 2004 School teacher effectiveness. Discovery Publishing House: New Delhi, India. Raymond, S. M. 2008 Effective and ineffective university teaching from the students and facultys perspectives: Matched or mismatched expectations? University of Exeter. Retrieved from eric.exeter.ac.uk/exeter/ bitstream/10036/.../5/RaymondS_fm.pdf Reyes, F. C. 2000 A Filipino model of teaching expertise in higher education. A research funded by the Commission on Higher Education, The Philippines. Richardson, B. G. & M. J. Shupe 2003 The importance of teacher self-awareness in working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Teaching Exceptional Children, 36 (2), 8-13.
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Sanchez, L. L. 2007 What makes a good teacher: Are we looking in the right direction for guidance? George Fox University. Retrieved from http:// gradworks.umi.com

Pursuant to the international character of this publication, the journal is indexed by the following agencies: (1)Public Knowledge Project, a consortium of Simon Fraser University Library, the School of Education of Stanford University, and the British Columbia University, Canada: (2) E-International Scientific Research Journal Consortium; (3) Philippine E-Journals; and, (4) Google Scholar.

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