Since the stipulation of teaching as a profession by the Ministry of National Education in Law No. 14/2005 on Teachers and Lecturers, the improvement of teachers’ quality has been one of the most serious concerns for education policy makers and teacher educators. The government has taken some measures to tackle the low quality of teachers such as by establishing teaching competency standards and implementing certification test. Such measures are undoubtedly important for the improvement of teachers’ quality. However, these do not guarantee that teachers become more qualified as there are many individual factors that lead to the improvement of teachers’ quality. The writer believes that one of the internal factors that really influences teachers’ quality is the perceived characteristics of professional teachers. The aims of this study are: (1) to investigate EFL teachers’ perceptions on the characteristics of professional EFL teachers ; (2) to investigate whether teaching experience differentiates their perceptions; (3) to investigate whether certification differentiates teachers’ perceptions; and (4) to describe the reflection of their perceptions in classroom actions/practices.The study was conducted in Cimahi, West Java. The subjects were 119 EFL senior and junior high school teachers from 31 schools. Subjects were chosen through cluster- random sampling. Data were taken through a survey, interviews, observations, and tape-recording. Data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. This study used four dependent variables to describe teachers’ professionalism characteristics (Professional Competency, Pedagogical Competency, Personal Competency, and Social Competency). To describe the subjects’ characteristics, two independent variables were used (teaching experience and certification qualification). The results of the study show that teachers have positive responses to the characteristics described in the four variables and that teaching experience differentiates teachers’ perceptions towards professional characteristics of EFL teachers as described in the four teachers’ competencies’. Unlike teaching experience that differentiates teachers’ perceptions in all four variables, certification only differentiates one of the four variables. Certification only differentiates personal competency. This study also confirms the importance of six aspects (General Knowledge Ability, Focused-Training, Teaching Experience, Knowledge of Subject Matter, Certification, and Academic Degree) in teachers’ professionalism. Finally, the study also reveals that teachers’ perceptions are reflected in teachers’ classroom actions. It can be concluded that indicators of teachers’ competencies are necessary for EFL teachers development, that teaching experience influences teachers’ perception, and that there are aspects that need to be taken into account in developing teachers’ professionalism. Based on the findings, the writer raises three recommendations. First, further studies on teachers’ perceptions towards EFL teachers’ professionalism should be conducted in a wider context which involve EFL teachers in Indonesia, experts in EFL teachers, and policy makers. Second, the development of teachers’ quality standards should be focused on aspects that are believed to have an important contribution to teachers’ professional development. Third, measurable indicators must be provided for EFL teachers to help them improve their professionalism.
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