Growth in practical knowledge and teachers' self-efficacy during an in-service BA (TESOL) programme

This thesis explores growth in practical knowledge and teachers' self-efficacy during
an in-service language teacher education programme; a three-year BA (TESOL).
Teachers' self-efficacy beliefs are teachers' beliefs in their capabilities of supporting
learning in various task and context-specific cognitive, metacognitive, affective and
social ways.
The study focuses on five non-native speaker teachers of English in a hitherto little
researched geographical context, using qualitative case study methodology to trace
their development longitudinally. Longitudinal studies into the practical knowledge
growth of language teachers are notable by their absence, as are qualitative studies
into language teachers' self-efficacy beliefs. Accordingly, constructs and processes
central to this thesis have been under-researched, leading to a gap in the literature that . this study addresses.
In this thesis, case studies of the development of teachers' self-efficacy and practical
knowledge in ELT are presented. Findings suggest that in-service language teacher
education programmes that encourage reflection and deep learning can foster
considerable growth in practical knowledge and teachers' self-efficacy. Various
dimensions of this practical knowledge growth are explored and light is shed on
teachers' cognitions in previously little researched curricular areas of language
teaching. Assertions are made about the nature of growth in language teachers' selfefficacy,
and a conceptual model is offered that seeks to explain this process. Insights
gained from the study suggest that qualitative methods, including observations and
interviews used together, can uncover links between language teachers' practical
knowledge and self-efficacy beliefs, and can be used to chart growth that occurs in
both longitudinally. This work thus makes a methodological contribution as well as
enriching understanding of the constructs themselves. It also makes recommendations
for the design of in-service language teacher education programmes with a view to
helping them support growth in practical knowledge and teachers' self-efficacy