Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 136 ( 2014 ) 491 – 495

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1877-0428 © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of LINELT 2013.doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.05.362

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LINELT 2013

Research on Prospective Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs

Perihan Yalçın a *, Nurten Özçelik b, Leyla Ercan c aGazi Faculty of Education of Gazi University, Ankara,Turkey b Gazi Faculty of Education of Gazi University, Ankara,Turkey a Gazi Faculty of Education of Gazi University, Ankara,Turkey

Abstract

This study aims at determining prospective foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and examining the correlations between self-efficacy belief and such variables as gender, age, department, school of graduation, academic achievement and socio-economic level. The study group of the research, which was conducted by employing the survey model, was composed of randomly chosen 270 undergraduate students of foreign languages department of Gazi Faculty of Education of Gazi University who attended the French Language (N=111), English Language (N=79), and German Language (N=80) departments in the 2012-2013 academic year. The self-efficacy scale developed by Schmitz & Schwarzer (2000) was used as the tool of data collection. The Cronbach Alpha value was found to be 0.79 for the scale. The research has demonstrated that no significant differences are available between the prospective teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and the above mentioned variables. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of LINELT 2013.

Keywords: self-efficacy belief, prospective foreign language teachers

Introduction Self-efficacy belief is one of the basic elements of achievement in education and teaching, and needs emphasising. Teachers’ self-efficacy belief influences the teaching quality, the methods and techniques used, students’ participation in learning, and their comprehending the topics of teaching, which – in turn - is determinant of students’ achievement status (Klausmeier and Allen, 1978). Hence, well-trained prospective teachers are expected to have high levels of self-efficacy belief above all. Teachers’ fulfilling the required proficiency of teaching profession

*Corresponding Author: Perihan Yalçın, Tel.: +90 532 522 01 38 E-mail : perihan@gazi.edu.tr

© 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of LINELT 2013.

492 Perihan Yalçın et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 136 ( 2014 ) 491 – 495

is closely related with their belief in their capability to perform their duties and liabilities as well as with receiving high quality education (Yılmaz, Köseoğlu, Gerçek and Soran, 2004). Bandura (1997) defines self-efficacy as “an individual’s judgements about his/her capacity to organise and perform the activities necessary for displaying a certain amount of performance” while Zimmerman (1995) defines it as “an individual’s judgements concerning his/her capabilities to fulfill or achieve a task”. Teachers’ self-efficacy involves the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for fulfilling the duties and liabilities of teaching profession. This is a concept related to a successful teaching. The research conducted by Aşkar and Umay concluded that “individuals with high perception of self-efficacy for a certain situation make great efforts to achieve in a task and they do not give up when they encounter negative conditions, but keep on working towrds their goal with patience and insistence” (2001:1). Some research studies demonstrated that correlations were available between teachers’ self-efficacy and students’ motivation (woolfook et al., 1990) and achievement (gibso and Dembo 1984; Ross 1992). Ashton contends that teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs are their expectations of their capacity to affect students’ performances. “It has been revealed through research that teachers’ self-efficacy belief is influential in their in-class practices and that teachers with high levels of self-efficacy belief behave with more desire and more passion in terms of teaching” (quoted by Bıkmaz, 2004). A review of literature demonstrates that research studies concerning self-efficacy are available in various fields: Yabaş and Altun (2009), Üstüner, Demirtaş, Cömert and Özer (2009), Aşkar and Umay (2001), Tuncer and Tanaş (2011), Fırat Durdukoca (2010), Korkut and Akkoyunlu (2008), Akkoyunlu and Kurbanoğlu (2003). It is important that teachers hold self-efficacy beliefs in the field of foreign language, as in any other field, and it is one of the most important elements capable of influencing achievement to be attained. This research, which is considered important in raising quality in teacher training, examines prospective teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs.

1.1. The Purpose of the Research This research aims to determine prospective foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and to examine the correlations between self-efficacy belief and such variables as gender, age, department, school of graduation, academic achievement and socio-economic level. In line with this purpose, the answers are sought to the following questions:

1. At what level are prospective foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs? 2. Do prospective foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs differ significantly on the basis of gender? 3. Do prospective foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs differ significantly on the basis of age? 4. Do prospective foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs differ significantly on the basis of

department of study? 5. Do prospective foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs differ significantly on the basis of socio-

economic levels? 6.

2. Method 2.1. Research Model This descriptive research employs a survey model. Survey models are the approaches which aim to describe the existing situation in the past and at present (Karasar 1995: 77). 2.2. Study Group The study group was composed of randomly chosen 270 undergraduate students attending the French Language (N=111), English Language (N=79), and German Language (N=80) sections of the Foreign Languages Department of Gazi Faculty of Education of Gazi University in the 2012-2013 academic year. 2.3. Data Collection Tool The 8-item self-efficacy scale which was developed by Schmitz and Schwarzer (2000), and which was adapted into

493 Perihan Yalçın et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 136 ( 2014 ) 491 – 495

Turkish by Gerçek and Soran (2004) was used as the tool of data collection. Th Cronbach Alpha value was calculated as 0.79 for the 4 pointed Likert type scale. The scoring of the scale was performed as: fully appropriate=4, mostly appropriate=3, rarely appropriate=2, inappropriate=1. Besides, the information on participants in relation to gender, age, grade level, department, school of graduation, academic achievement and socio-economic levels was also collected in the scale. 2.4. Data Analysis The data, having been collected through the self-efficacy scale which was applied to the sample, were put to the SPSS 16.0 programme and were analysed by using independent groups t-test, the ANOVA, frequencies and arithmetic averages. The significance was regarded at the level of “0.05” for the data. 3. Findings and Interpretation The findings are tabulated and interpreted in this part of the research: 3.1. An examination of Prospective Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs on the Basis of Gender The findings obtained following the t-test which was conducted so as to determine whether or not any significant differences were available between the self-efficacy beliefs of students studying in the foreign languages department according to gender are shown in Table 1:

Table 1: The t-test Results concerning Prospective Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs According to Gender

Gender N X SS sd t p Female 204 3.12 .46 268 -.93 .18 Male 66 3.19 .54

According to Table 1, no significant differences are available in prospective foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs on gender basis due to the fact that the significance level is p=0.18; p<0.05. Male students’ self-

efficacy scores ( =3.19) are higher than female ones ( =3.12). However, this finding cannot be interpreted as a significant difference between self-efficacy and gender. 3.2. An examination of Prospective Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs on the Basis of Age The findings obtained through the Scheffe test which was conducted so as to determine whether or not any significant differences were available between the self-efficacy beliefs of the students studying in the foreign languages department on the basis of age are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. The Analysis Results concerning Prospective Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs According to Age

Age N X SS sd F p 19 21 3.19 .51 4 1.46 .22 20 48 3.21 .42 21 22 23+

74 51 76

3.04 3.10 3.20

.41

.41

.60

As is evident from Table 2, the self-efficacy belief is at the maximum level in students at age 20 (X=3.21) whereas it is at the minimum level in 21- year old students (X=3.04). Yet, no significant differences were found between students’ self-efficacy beliefs on the basis of age (p=.22) p<0.05). 3.3. An examination of Prospective Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs on the Basis of Department The findings obtained through the Scheffe test which was conducted so as to determine whether or not any

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significant differences were available between the self-efficacy beliefs of the students studying in the foreign languages department on the basis of department are shown in Table 3.

Table3. The Analysis Results concerning Prospective Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs According to Department

Department N X SS sd F p French 111 3.19 .52 2 1.09 .34 English German

79 80

3.09 3.11

.42

.48

As is evident from Table 3, on analysing the prospective foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, no significant differences were found on the basis of department. 3.4. An examination of Prospective Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs on the Basis of High School of Graduation Table 4. The Analysis Results Concerning Prospective Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs According to the School of Graduation

School of graduation N X SS sd F p High School 86 3.13 .52 3 2.09 .10 Anatolian High School Super High School Vocational High School

83 56 45

3.04 .42 3.19 .48 3.25 .41

According to Table 4, the self-efficacy beliefs of vocational high school graduates were found to be the highest (X=3.25). Since p=.10, it may be said that the students’ self-efficacy beliefs do not differ on the basis of the school of graduation. 3.5. An examination of Prospective Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs on the Basis of Socio-Economic Level

Table 5. The Analysis Results concerning Prospective Foreign Language Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs According to Socio-Economic Level

Socio-economic level N X SS sd F p Hig 88 3.20 .57 2 2.84 .06

Middle Low

164 18

3.08 .40 3.30 .59

As is clear from Table 5, students with middle or high socio-economic levels have lower arithmetic averages than those with lower socio-economic levels. Yet, this state cannot be interpreted as the availability of significant differences between students’ self-efficacy beliefs on the basis of socio-economic level (p=.06). 4. Conclusions The results obtained in this research, which was designed to determine prospective foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, can be listed as in what follows: There are no significant differences between prospective foreign language teachers’ levels of self-efficacy on gender basis; however, male students’ aritmetic averages were higher than those of female students’ (X=3.19). This is a finding in parallel to the ones obtained by Bong (1999) and Bush (1995). No significant differences were found between prospective teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in terms of age variable. On examining the self-efficacy beliefs on the basis of department, it was found that students of all the departments had quite high levels of self-efficacy beliefs and that no significant differences were available between them, which may be considered as a positive result for the foreign languages department. The analysis results concerning the self-efficacy beliefs according to the type of high school of graduation demonstrated that the graduates of vocational high schools had the highest level of self-

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efficacy belief (X=3.25), but that prospective teachers self-efficacy belief did not differ on the basis of high school of graduation. Additionally, no significant differences were found in self-efficacy beliefs on the basis of socio-economic level, another variable in this study. The fact that arithmetic averages were high in general even though no significant differences were found between self-efficacy beliefs on the basis of a number of variables may be interpreted as that prospective foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy levels are high. In consequence, it may be stated that prospective foreign language teachers with high levels of self-efficacy belief will patiently cope with problems that they encounter and that they will make efforts to be successful, without giving up. References Akkoyunlu, B., & Kurbanoğlu, S. (2003). Öğretmen adaylarının bilgi okuryazarlığı ve bilgisayar öz-yeterlik algıları üzerine bir çalışma,

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