Teacher candidates’ self-efficacy beliefs and possible selves throughout the teaching practice period in Turkey

Abstract

This research aims to study the change observed in self-efficacy beliefs and possible selves of teacher candidates regarding their first year in the profession after the completion of teaching practice. The research has a mix design method utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data collection tools. The quantitative part of the research has been prepared in accordance with pretest/posttest model with single group. In this context, 70 teacher candidates have been administered both “Teacher’s Sense of Efficacy Scale” and “New Teacher Possible Selves Questionnaire” at the beginning and end of the term as pretest and posttest in order to identify the change caused by teaching practice. With respect to the qualitative part of the research, ten volunteered candidates have been interviewed through semi-structured interviews following the termination of teaching practice. Joint interpretation of both quantitative and qualitative findings of this research indicates that teaching practice has an influence over self-efficacy beliefs and teacher possible selves of teacher candidates. In this research, overall self-efficacy beliefs of teacher candidates have been identified to improve after teaching practice. With respect to the dimensions of self-efficacy beliefs, the findings of this research point that teaching practice hasn’t produced any positive effects over self-efficacy beliefs of teacher candidates regarding class management, but levels of self-efficacy beliefs concerning student engagement and teaching strategies have improved after teaching practice. On the other hand, united evaluation of both quantitative and qualitative findings of this study shows that not much has changed regarding expected teacher possible selves, but not feared teacher possible selves of teacher candidates.