VIETNAMESE NOVICE EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF SELF-EFFICACY

Abstract

Teacher self-efficacy refers to teachers’ beliefs in their capacity to influence students and assist them to achieve desired learning outcomes. Previous studies have indicated the correlation between teacher self-efficacy and their teaching performance, attainments, and commitment to the career. Nevertheless, not much investigation has been conducted in the context of Vietnam to develop a more profound understanding of teacher self-efficacy, especially that of novice teachers with limited teaching experience and a possible lack of certainty to pursue the teaching career, hence the need for thorough inquiries. To fill the gap in the existing literature, this research study was carried out to investigate the perceptions of self-efficacy of Vietnamese novice EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers. By employing mixed methods with exploratory sequential design, involving semi-structured interviews followed by questionnaires, this study aims to offer sound grasp of the perceived sources of self-efficacy and the extent to which those sources influence novice EFL teachers in different teaching contexts in Hanoi, Vietnam. The findings revealed six primary sources of teacher self-efficacy: (1) past teaching experiences; (2) impacts from students; (3) teacher’s knowledge of content, language and pedagogy; (4) vicarious experiences; (5) feedback from stakeholders; (6) physiological and emotional states. Furthermore, the knowledge of content, language and pedagogy was the most impactful source, followed by other sources namely students’ behaviors, academic progress and teacher-student rapport.