Self-Efficacy of Student Teachers during Practicum in Azerbaijan

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate student teachers’ sense of teaching perceptions and teaching self-efficacy in their last year of the teacher education program. Self-efficacy refers to one’s beliefs in his abilities to meet challenges and succeed in completing an important task. Self-efficacy is considered essential in teaching effectiveness, instructional methods, and students' academic accomplishment. However, there is limited literature about self efficacy of teachers, precisely student teachers, in the Azerbaijani context. Guided by phenomenological qualitative research design and using semi-structured interviews and fieldnotes, the researcher explores teaching perceptions of student teachers as well as self-assessment of student teachers’ teaching efficacy at the beginning of teaching practicum when they start practicing teaching for the first time. The sample includes fifteen senior-year student teachers studying at three higher education institutions in Baku, Azerbaijan. Overall, despite having limited teaching experience, student teachers’ teaching self- efficacy is found to be high. The participants report relatively higher teaching self-efficacy in instructing and establishing a positive environment to support student learning while they appear to report a lower self-efficacy in classroom management and student engagement. Findings present that the interviewees’ teaching experience and self-efficacy are influenced by the different aspects of university and school environment. Also, culture has an impact on student teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, i.e., their interpretations of who assesses their skills, self-assessment, and peer assessment of their efficacy. This study supports the previous research that self-efficacy of student teachers is influenced by their accomplished tasks, feedback of supervising teachers, and the climate of the school they are practicing teaching as a part of education program. The researcher suggests that further research is imperative to measure the level of self-efficacy and to enable HEIs to guide students in the assessment of their teaching efficacy. Also, student teachers should be provided with self-evaluation quizzes after completing teaching related courses to make sense of their current situation and future responsibilities.