Exploring the antecedents of English language teachers' teaching self-efficacy: a qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Goudarz Alibakhshi ◽  
Hossein Abdollahi ◽  
Behzad Nezakatgoo
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Quality Of Work Life ◽  
Semistructured Interview ◽  
Institutional Variables ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Variables ◽  
Training Courses

PurposeThis study aimed at exploring the antecedents of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' self-efficacy (SE). That is, the main purpose was to deeply delve into the main variables and latent which lead to a high sense of SE among teachers of English as a foreign language.Design/methodology/approachA phenomenological inquiry was employed to explore the antecedents of language teachers from their eyes. In this study, the phenomenon is SE antecedents. The researchers employed this method to help identify the meaning behind the human experience as it is related to a phenomenon or notable collective occurrence. A semistructured interview checklist was developed, carefully worded, reviewed by five teacher educators known as experts in qualitative research methodology and teacher education and edited based on the experts' feedbackFindingsThe findings showed that the antecedents of SE can be categorized into personal variables, educational variables and institutional variables. Personal variables include verbal intelligence, language proficiency and some other traits. The institutional variables include support from administration, support from colleagues, support from the community and quality of work life. The educational antecedents include preservice and in-service training courses. Preservice training courses included the following: the courses on general language skills, courses on teaching methods, practicum courses, etc.Originality/valueThis study was undertaken in a specific context and the participants are specific. Almost all studies on SE are quantitative, and this qualitative study explored the antecedents of teachers' SE from their own eyes. Some of the explored studies were not mentioned in any of the related studies.

Language teachers’ perceptions of practitioner research

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 897-914
Author(s):  
Sabine Imad Arayssi ◽  
Rima Bahous ◽  
Rula Diab ◽  
Mona Nabhani
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Practitioner Research ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Theory To Practice ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine language teachers’ perceptions of practitioner research to establish an understanding whether research comprises a fundamental component in their career. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was conducted with language teachers and coordinators from various schools in Lebanon. Questionnaires were distributed to 50 language teachers, followed by semi-structured interviews conducted with language coordinators, and in-depth interviews with language teachers who are practitioner researchers. Findings Results indicated that research is a minority activity for language teachers due to lack of time, overwhelming working conditions and lack of flexibility in the workplace. Research limitations/implications There was a lack of cooperation between teachers and coordinators. Originality/value This study provides teachers in Lebanon with the opportunity of transforming their voice through participating in and being agents of research rather than solely observing the process which attempts to bridge theory to practice.

scholarly journals The Importance Of Self-Efficacy And Foreign Language Learning In The 21st Century

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 117-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taghi Jabbarifar
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
First Century ◽  
The Social

Two decades have now passed since Bandura (1986) introduced the concept of self-efficacy within the social cognitive theory of human behavior. He defined it as "people's judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances (1986). Much empirical evidence now supports the idea that self-efficacy touches almost every aspect of people's lives including foreign language learning; However, it has apparently received the least attention compared to other cognitive and affective issues. The present article attempts to shed some light on importance of the concept of self-efficacy, the role it can play in foreign language learning and the pedagogical implications it may have for foreign language teachers and the students of English language in the end of the first decade of the twenty first century.

Using Technologies to Develop Skills and Autonomy in Foreign Language Teachers

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Maugeri
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Web Based ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Training Courses ◽  
The One

This study focuses on the peculiarities that training courses mediated by technologies need to feature to positively affect the motivation and the building of metacognitive and didactic competences in teachers of foreign languages. What is especially highlighted is the fact that the advantages of these courses are closely related to the variables internal to the virtual environments that put the participants in control of their own learning process. With this in mind, two areas are taken into consideration, the constructive-interactional approach regarded as a model to design virtual learning environments on the one hand, and on the other the characteristics of e-learning tools and web-based tasks that help teachers acquire and refine metacognitive strategies, critical thinking and digital practices useful for their professional development.

Integrating Technology on Initial Training Courses

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-71
Author(s):  
Marisa Constantinides
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Training ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Regular Part ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Integrating Technology ◽  
Training Courses ◽  
Teacher Trainers ◽  
Teacher Trainer

Teacher trainers/educators play a key role in the process of normalisation, as defined by Bax (2003), in the training of foreign language teachers to use technology as a regular part of their practice. This study explores teacher trainer attitudes towards adopting technology, their readiness to use it on teacher training courses, and their current levels of comfort in integrating it on Cambridge CELTA courses, a pre-service course currently followed by approximately 12,000 candidates annually. The results and discussion will stimulate some reflection as to what degree such courses are responsive to the objective of integrating technology in the training of foreign language teachers.

Teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy, English proficiency, and instructional strategies

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cevdet Yilmaz
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Teaching Efficacy ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Proficiency Level

The main purpose in the study was to examine the efficacy beliefs of Turkish EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers. Teachers' perceptions of their teaching efficacy regarding personal capabilities to teach English and their self-reported English proficiency level were also investigated. The data were collected through a survey completed by 54 teachers. Results indicated that teachers' perceived efficacy was correlated with their self-reported English proficiency, and that teachers' efficacy for instructional strategies was greater than their efficacy for management and engagement. The study provides useful insights into the need to help teachers develop their language proficiency that, in turn, has relevance for their perceived self-efficacy.

scholarly journals The Effects of Study Abroad on Spanish Teachers’ Self-Efficacy: A Multiple Case Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-45
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Jochum ◽  
Jared R. Rawlings ◽  
Ana María Tejada
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Field Note ◽  
Multiple Case

Teacher efficacy, or the degree to which teachers feel as though they can affect positive outcomes in their classrooms, has received considerable attention over the last three decades (Bandura 1977, 1997; Tschannen-Moran & Johnson, 2011). Research has shown that, among foreign language teachers, self-efficacy is associated with their language proficiency (Chacón, 2005; Yilmaz 2011) and students’ achievement (Swanson, 2014). The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to better understand how the study abroad experience affected four, inservice Spanish teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy as it relates to language proficiency and instructional practice. Using a multiple case design (Stake 2006), we conducted interviews, recorded field note observations and collected participant reflection journals. Findings revealed that, as a result of the study abroad experience, participants described awareness of their foreign language proficiency, discussed re-assessing their classroom practice and explained a commitment to increasing target-language use in the classroom.  

scholarly journals Exploring Foreign Language Teachers Recruitment Criteria: A Qualitative Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyyed Ali Ostovar-Namaghi ◽  
Seyyedeh Mobina Hosseini
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Private Language ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Language Schools

Although qualities of effective language teachers have been well specified and well researched, recruiters may not be aware of these qualities or, in the light of local constraints, they may ignore these qualities and apply their own criteria. To uncover the criteria which are actually applied in recruiting language teachers, this qualitative study purposively sampled 15 supervisors who were in charge of recruiting language teachers in private language schools of Sari, the capital city of Mazandran province and then theoretically sampled their perspectives and analyzed them in line with the principles and procedures of grounded theory. Iterative data collection and analysis revealed that the participants considered nine qualities including educational background, professional experience, management skills, mastery over language skills and subskills in recruiting language teachers. The findings have clear implications for both recruiters and language teachers.

scholarly journals Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs and Perspectives about Maintaining Their Students’ Interest

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Comfort Pratt ◽  
Amani Zaier ◽  
Yanlin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Efficacy Beliefs ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
General Level ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Sense Of Efficacy

Americans do not study foreign languages long enough to achieve communicative competence, and that poses economic and security problems for the nation as well as career and personal limitations for individuals. Despite the plethora of research studies on effective approaches and methods for teaching foreign languages, there is evidence in the literature that foreign language students often experience a loss of interest in the languages, and there is a critical need to investigate the causes of the lack of interest and propose solutions. To that end, this study took a look at the possible role played by teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in their ability or inability to maintain their students’ interest in the target languages. By means of an online survey administered to foreign language teachers, this mixed methods study investigated their beliefs about their ability to impact their students positively and their general level of efficacy for teaching foreign languages. Findings revealed that the teachers overwhelmingly believed that they had a positive impact. However, their general level of efficacy was mildly high and there was no significant correlation between the teachers’ sense of efficacy and their ability to maintain their students’ interest in the languages. Implications for foreign language teacher preparation and professional development point to the need to develop a strong sense of efficacy as well as strategies for positively impacting students to maintain their interest in the language.

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