CLER Conversation: Novice EFL teacher self-efficacy in the first year: an insight into the impact of task-, domain-, and context-specific factors upon perceptions of efficacy - Natalie Donohue

Novice EFL teacher self-efficacy in the first year: an insight into the impact of task-, domain-, and context-specific factors upon perceptions of efficacy - Natalie Donohue, PhD

Self-efficacy beliefs are a key indicator of teachers’ self-perceptions of success in the classroom, however, novice teacher self-efficacy is recognised as being more susceptible to fluctuations whilst these teachers build experience and confidence within their role. Self-efficacy beliefs have been linked to motivation, persistence, engagement, and resilience, and hold implications for teacher retention and attrition, making this an important area of inquiry in research on teachers, yet qualitative insight into language teacher self-efficacy (LTSE) remains undeveloped. Furthermore, much LTSE research concerns ‘global’ self-efficacy, with limited consideration being given to how task-, domain-, and context-specific factors may influence perceptions of self-efficacy (Wheatley, 2002; Wyatt, 2015).

This paper reports on a qualitative, longitudinal research study and documents the shifting perceptions of self-efficacy of five novice EFL teachers. It highlights the variation in LTSE – both individually and across the group – in relation to task-, domain-, and context-specific factors. Participants’ LTSE beliefs shifted in response to various stimuli, including pre-service education, contextual factors, social support, and living in a foreign country, whilst social support and the workplace atmosphere emerged as particularly influential factors in shaping novice EFL teachers’ perceptions of efficacy. Additionally, it was also clear that such perceptions were closely bound with the nature of teaching tasks the novice teachers were completing, the type of students they taught, and the context in which they were working, therefore echoing other contemporary researchers in calling for greater consideration of task-, domain-, and context-specific self-efficacy in LTSE research.

Bio: Natalie Donohue, PhD, is an associate professor in English Language and Didactics at Volda University College in Volda, Norway. She is now predominantly involved in language teacher training, but has previously taught English in Japan, Turkey, and the UK. She received her PhD in Education from the University of Leeds, and her research interests include teacher motivation, self-efficacy and cognition, with a particular focus on novice teachers.

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