Self-efficacy of preservice English teachers in Primary education

Abstract

The current Degree of Primary Education - English Language track is intended to train prospective teachers to teach English Languages to students of Primary Education (aged to 12) within the Spanish system. This investigation analyses the perception of pre-service teachers in relation to the linguistic and methodological training received in their degree to teach English in Primary Education. The main objective of the research is to determine the perceived self-efficacy of student-teachers, a field which remains relatively unexplored in Spain, and which deserves more attention due to the possible influence this construct may have on teachers' performance and the teaching-learning process. Participants were 37 pre-service teachers in the last course of the degree in Primary Education (English stream) at the University of Oviedo who completed a 50-item questionnaire that measured their self-efficacy in terms of linguistic and methodological competence. Participants with stronger oral proficiency scored lower on self-efficacy items related to their methodological performance, suggesting they are less confident regarding their methodological resources and repertoire. Variance analyses (one-way ANOVA) were performed to assess student-teachers' perceptions. The findings provide new insights about the participants' beliefs regarding the linguistic and methodological training they received at the university and underline the need to conduct further research as regards the concept of teaching self-efficacy.