A Study of Efl Teachers’ Teaching Efficacy, Attributions to their Teaching and their Perceived Effectiveness of CPD: PGDT Graduates in Focus.
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Date
2019-11
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Teaching-efficacy is a topic of significance in mainstream education and in ESL/EFL. Teaching-efficacy belief is an important concept in understanding teachers’ thoughts, decisions, feelings, behaviors, performance, and attitudes with regard to their students (OECD, 2008). Research in the educational domain confirms that individuals pursue activities in which they feel they will be competent, and avoid situations in which they doubt their capability to perform successfully (Pajares, 1992). However, EFL teachers, compared to learners, have not received enough exposure to English Language Teaching (ELT) literature and research (Akbari, 2008). Likewise, teacher attributions, particularly language teacher attributions, remained an unchartered territory that awaits further research (Tollefson and Chen 1988; Davis and Sumara 1997 and Peacock 2010). This study intended to explore PGDT graduates of EFL teachers’ levels of teaching-efficacy, the teachers’ success and failure attributions to their teaching performances, and their perceived- effectiveness of CPD activities in light of constrctivist paradigm by employing equally treated Mixed Methods Research (MMR) involving 204 EFL teachers for the survey questionnaires and 8 selected PGDT graduate EFL teachers for the semi structured interviews in 5 zones of Oromia Regional states respectively. To this end, adapting Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) model as a theoretical framework, EFL teachers’ levels of teaching efficacy has been explored in relation to ECMRA, ECAMS, ESPA, ETCLC, ESA, EAA, and CE following data generation through adapted scenario-based, Likert-scale ELT teacher efficacy Instrument (ELTEI). Similarly, the teachers’ success and failure attributions to their EFL teaching performances: namely Teacher Competence (TrC), Teacher Effort (TrE), Students’ Ability (StA), Students’ Effort (StE) and Institutional Support (InS). EFL teachers’ perceived-effectiveness of CPD was assessed on four sub-components: their views of CPD, methods of CPD they were engaged in, effectiveness of the CPD activities, and factors that affect their CPD activities. The overall finding of the EFL teachers’ level of teaching efficacy showed that there was mixed levels of teaching efficacy. The survey results showed that majority of the EFL teachers had the belief that they had moderately high levels of teaching efficacy. However, the qualitative data findings indicate that still some others had a doubt that they can handle or do efficaciously on each sub-components of ELTEI alongside their items to measure similar constructs. Particularly, the findings of the teachers’ survey questionnaire in efficacy in skills and proficiency adjustment(ESPA) and efficacy in age adjustment(EAA) sub-component of ELTEI are contrary to the findings of interview data results. The findings of both quantitative and qualitative methods were congruent that the teachers’ judgment of the effectiveness of ELT-CPD was moderate (M=3.45, SD=.28). It was found out that there is no relevant professional development offered, particularly EFL related themes in the CPD manual and the contents of the CPD activities lack language components to help the teachers improve their language skills. The finding indicate that teachers’ mean rating score on attributions TrC, TrE, StA and StE for success were higher than their mean score on attributions for failure. The interview findings, too, show that the EFL teachers attributed their success mainly to their efforts and their competence while they attributed the causes of failure in teaching to students’ poor background and lack of ability, lack of interest and motivation. Results from this study and follow up research enable enhanced understanding of EFL teachers’ teaching efficacy, and their attributions while engaging and/or and following any methods of CPD activities. Several important theoretical and practical implications for teacher development and policy-making in the EFL teacher education context have emerged from the present study.
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A Study of Efl Teachers’ Teaching Efficacy