Factors Impacting EFL Teachers’ Self-efficacy: A Theoritical Perspective

Abstract

EFL teachers working in Saudi Arabian universities are often from different social, cultural and academic backgrounds. The factors that affect their self-efficacy can vary from one teacher to another because of their different social and cultural associations. This research is carried out in the light of the existing literature to determine some of the factors and variables which may influence the level of EFL teachers’ self-efficacy who teach at the universities in Saudi Arabia. Some of the factors are related to the personal traits of the teachers such as competence, experience, flexibility, hard work, perseverance, motivation, attitude, self-efficacy, resourcefulness and how they see themselves as teachers; whereas others are associated with their cultural, social and academic background, the working environment of an organization, and the attitudes of learners. Teacher self-efficacy is prone to be affected either negatively or positively by all these factors.