Voices from the Young Learner Classrooms: If I Were …

Abstract The issues related to teaching and learning process of a foreign language have always been centered on the perceptions of the two parties: the teachers and the teacher trainees. The question of how learners perceive this process is an area which needs to be discovered. The present study attempts to explore the perceptions of young EFL learners regarding the qualities of an effective language teacher as the practitioner of all the theory underlying Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL). 168 pupils were asked to write an essay responding to an open-ended question. The findings of the study shed light into the process of English Language Teacher Education programs and how young learners as ‘insiders’ have beneficial impact on how language is taught in the classroom.