JAPANESE UNIVERSITY ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS' SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS: A MIXED-METHODS EXPLORATION

Abstract

This study is an investigation of Japanese university English language teachers' self-efficacy beliefs. Research has established that teachers' self-efficacy has considerable influence on a wide variety of teaching practices. However, in the English as a Foreign Language domain, and more specifically at the university level in Japan, self-efficacy beliefs have hardly ever been examined. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' self-efficacy beliefs based on the teachers' native language, teaching experience, contract and tenured status, and gender. Furthermore, the sources of these beliefs, how they are strengthened, and how they are challenged were also explored. In order to provide answers to these questions, the Japanese University Language Teachers' Efficacy Beliefs Scale (JULTEBS), a new instrument measuring language teacher self-efficacy was validated using the Rasch rating-scale model as well as a confirmatory factor analysis. A triangulation strategy mixed-method design was employed in which the collection and analysis of data from the quantitative survey was completed in addition to the collection and analysis of data from qualitative open-ended interviews. A profile analysis, a special application of a MANOVA, was conducted to check the hypotheses for parallelism, levelness, and flatness of the self-efficacy scores among the various groups of respondents. The four self-efficacy variables that were measured were Efficacy in Student Engagement, Efficacy in Instructional Strategies, Efficacy in Classroom Management, and Efficacy in Dealing with Superiors. Semi-structured interviews were also employed to help determine what potentially strengthens and weakens the self-efficacy beliefs of English language teachers. The results showed that native English language teachers perceived themselves to be more efficacious than Japanese English teachers across all four self-efficacy variables. Additionally, more experienced teachers exhibited higher self-efficacy beliefs than less experienced teachers. Tenured teachers and limited-term contract teachers showed similar levels of self-efficacy on all variables except for Efficacy in Dealing with Superiors, where tenured teachers rated themselves higher than contract teachers. Furthermore, male and female teachers showed no statistically significant differences across all four self-efficacy variables. Finally, four themes (Autonomy, Colleagues, Money, and Students) emerged as qualities that could support teachers' self-efficacy, whereas three themes (Administration, Students, and Limited-term Contracts) surfaced as qualities that could weaken teachers' self-efficacy. The findings of this study not only highlight the importance of teacher self-efficacy, but also provide valuable insights into the beliefs of English language teachers, as well as the current state of affairs for these teachers at Japanese universities.