What is a `good' physics teacher? Views from the English education community.

In this study we present the findings from a stakeholder survey across the English education community about perceptions of the key attributes of a `good' secondary school (11-18) physics teacher. The aim of this study is to explore perceptions in the community about a necessary and sufficient set of attributes that are either required or desirable for physics teachers entering the profession. We used an online survey with a range of stakeholders including in-service and pre-service teachers, school leaders, policymakers and those involved in pre-service and in-service teacher training. An adapted version survey was used with students studying physics at school (11-18). The survey was constructed in three stages; an initial unreflected response was elicited followed by a more specific, situated one. A third stage asked respondents to consider how the value of these attributes might be context dependent on factors such as the age and ability of the students. The analysis looked at the similarities and differences in the responses given at the first two stages as well as to what extent these attributes are considered context and subject specific. This paper forms part of a more in-depth study of English trainee physics teachers progressing through their pre-service teacher education into their early careers as well as an international comparative project investigating physics teacher education in the UK, Sweden, Finland and Singapore.