The Characteristics of Desirable Teachers from Teachers' and Students' Views: The Phenomenological Comparison in Primary Education

Mafi, Nafiseh; Hakimzadeh, Rezvan; Dehghani, Marzieh

doi:10.48310/tpd.2026.18063.1826

The Characteristics of Desirable Teachers from Teachers' and Students' Views: The Phenomenological Comparison in Primary Education

Document Type : research paper

Authors

¹ . M.A. in Educational Planning, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

² Professor of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. University of Tehran. Tehran. Iran.

³ Associate Professor of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. University of Tehran. Tehran. Iran

10.48310/tpd.2026.18063.1826

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The present study aimed to explore and compare the perceptions of teachers and second-cycle primary school students regarding the characteristics of a desirable teacher. Methods:Given the limited empirical research on this topic, particularly in Iran and at the primary education level this research employed a qualitative approach using a descriptive phenomenological design to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived perspectives of both groups. Purposive and criterion-based sampling were employed to recruit 29 teachers and 40 students from public elementary schools in Alborz County, Qazvin Province. The obtained data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step phenomenological method.Findings: The findings revealed three overarching categories of desirable teacher characteristics: individual characteristics, encompassing appearance and personality traits; specialized characteristics, including scientific, educational, and classroom leadership traits; and professional characteristics, comprising behavioral, emotional, nurturing, and interactive traits. Conclusion: Although teachers and students shared a broadly similar conceptual structure regarding the characteristics of a desirable teacher, differences emerged in their interpretations of the sub-themes. Students tended to conceptualize desirable teacher characteristics through concrete, everyday classroom experiences, whereas teachers predominantly framed them within professional and pedagogical considerations. This difference was particularly evident in the sub-theme of interactive characteristics, revealing that teachers had known their students but had not heard them; they had sometimes overlooked students' present moments and viewed the classroom more as an educational environment than as a living environment. Taken together, these patterns point to a threefold form of neglect, of students’ voices, their present moments, and their life, which may constrain the effectiveness of educational interactions and practices.

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