Teacher Efficacy In A Context Of College English Teaching

Teacher efficacy has proven to be an important variable in effective teaching. Although the study of teacher efficacy has borne much fruit, the bulk of the research studies have focused on teachers of all subjects in elementary school and high school in the Western context. The purpose of this study is to explore teacher efficacy among college English teachers in the Chinese context. Specifically, the study explores the construct of teacher efficacy beliefs among college English teachers; and investigates the relationship between teacher efficacy beliefs and teachers' attitudes toward innovation and challenges. The sample was conducted in 8 universities and institutes in Zhejiang province. Usable data were received from 186 teachers.Findings from factor analysis, correlation, the one-way ANOVA and post hoc tests show that Chinese college English teachers' teaching efficacy is comprised of two components, personal teaching efficacy (PTE) and general teaching efficacy (GTE). Age, teachers' years of teaching experience and professional title influence both PTE and GTE. Gender and educational level are not significantly correlated with either PTE or GTE. And both high and low efficacy groups of teachers hold different attitudes toward three aspects of innovation and challenges: "shift in teaching emphasis", "shift in teaching facilities" and "teaching an elective English course".Implications of the results are presented for teacher educators, English teachers, school administrators, and future research.