Teacher quality is an essential element of learners' educational experience and development. Positive teacher influence contributes to learners' knowledge and skill acquisition, as well as a positive learning environment (Jahangiri & Mucciolo, 2016). The lack of contemporary research on Japanese learners' perceptions of positive teacher attributes prompted this study. A preliminary survey conducted by the researchers revealed that high school teachers and private tutors were the most frequently selected categories across all educational levels, from elementary school to university, with English being the most common subject. Learners particularly perceived good teachers as friendly, knowledgeable, empathetic, and humorous. Respect for the teacher-student relationship and teacher strictness were also revealed to be important underlying themes in learners' perceptions. This study uses a mixed-methods design to cross-sectionally analyze the perceptions of good teacher attributes among over 157 Japanese university students over a year. The researchers examine the attributes selected by learners and the circumstances in which they formed their favorable perceptions through their reflective descriptions. Furthermore, this study introduces and examines the variable of gender. We then compare these results with other contemporary Asia-based studies related to this field (Al-Mahrooqi, Denman, Al-Siyabi, & Al-Maamari, 2015; Nghia, 2015; Wichadee, 2010).
