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Abstract
This research explores female EFL instructors’ perceptions of the effect of the professional development provided by the English Language Institute (ELI) at King Abdul-Aziz University (KAU) on their self-efficacy and the type of professional development training that they feel has the greatest effect on their sense of self-efficacy. This research is based on Bandura’s (1977) social cognitive theory and its subset of self-efficacy. In order to achieve its objective, this qualitative study incorporated semi-structured interviews with six EFL female instructors within the ELI at KAU, Saudi Arabia. The study results revealed that the instructors had positive perceptions of the professional development they received at the ELI in terms of enhancing their efficacy beliefs, as it enabled an opportunity for professional enhancement, positively influenced teaching practice to help students’ learning, and developed a positive atmosphere of collegiality and collaboration. Additionally, the participants demonstrated a positive attitude toward the ELI’s mentoring program, as it enabled them to be inspired by an expert in the field, improved their teaching competencies, and created a feeling of professionalism. However, the participants held a conflicting view of the effect of classroom observation on instructors’ self-efficacy. Some believed that observations represent an important professional development tool that helps improve their performance, while others perceived it as a source of efficacy doubt. Based on the research results, this study bridged a gap in the current literature and contributed to knowledge on EFL instructors’ self-efficacy and how it could be influenced by professional development activities.
Highlights
A wealth of academic research has been conducted on the instructional effectiveness of teachers (Chingos & Peterson, 2011; Klassen & Tze, 2014; Palardy & Rumberger, 2008; Rice, 2003), and a large number of researchers have attempted to explore how student performance could be affected by teaching behavior and practices (Blömeke, Olsen, & Suhl, 2016; Chetty, Friedman, & Rockoff, 2013; Goe, 2007)
R Some of the points raised by the instructors in relation to their efficacy beliefs can be traced to their experiences of classroom observation and the corresponding feedback
Some viewed classroom observation as a boost to their sense of self-efficacy, while others perceived it as engendering efficacy doubt due to the feedback they received
Summary
A wealth of academic research has been conducted on the instructional effectiveness of teachers (Chingos & Peterson, 2011; Klassen & Tze, 2014; Palardy & Rumberger, 2008; Rice, 2003), and a large number of researchers have attempted to explore how student performance could be affected by teaching behavior and practices (Blömeke, Olsen, & Suhl, 2016; Chetty, Friedman, & Rockoff, 2013; Goe, 2007). Teacher efficacy could have an impact on the learning and teaching process and is defined as the extent of a teacher’s belief in their ability to affect student performance (Wheatley, 2005). Bandura (1993) posited that the relationship between achievement and efficacy could be explained by the learning environment that teachers cultivate for their students. Positive and negative instructional practices can be created by certain factors, which can, in turn, have an impact on student achievement
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