Exploring Language Teacher Efficacy in Japan

Gene Thompson

Description

First book to focus exclusively on language teacher efficacy and to provide an in-depth study on the topic

This book examines language teacher efficacy beliefs, focusing on the individual and collective beliefs of Japanese high school teachers. It discusses personal and collective dimensions of language teacher efficacy related to personal second language (L2) capability, instructional L2 efficacy and collective capability towards collaboration. The book provides a detailed discussion about the ways in which these beliefs develop and situates the findings within the wider field of teacher efficacy research. It helps further understanding of factors that may influence teacher self-efficacy and suggests new directions for research to explore in future studies. It will appeal to postgraduates and researchers with an interest in language teacher cognition, the psychology of language teaching and those in the wider fields of self-efficacy, teacher efficacy and teacher agency. It is also of use to those with an interest in the high school English education system in Japan, as well as researchers investigating similar contexts.

Preface

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. Teacher Efficacy as a Form of Self-Efficacy      

Chapter 3. Language Teacher Efficacy     

Chapter 4. Approaches for Investigating Language Teacher Efficacy

Chapter 5. Developing a Language Teacher Efficacy Scale

Chapter 6. JTE Language Teacher Efficacy Beliefs and Dimensions              

Chapter 7. Language Teacher L2 Efficacy and L2 Usage   

Chapter 8. Efficacy for Language Instruction        

Chapter 9. Efficacy Towards Collaborative Practice and Collective Action

Chapter 10. Language Teacher Efficacy Belief Development         

Chapter 11. Where Next for LTE Research?

Sujets

• Disciplines
• Language Arts
• Teaching
• Lettres et linguistique
• Study
• Professional
• Personality
• Postgraduate education
• Education
• Research
• Postgraduate

Informations

• Publié par: Channel View Publications
• Date de parution: 14 mai 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781788925402
• Langue: English

Extrait

Exploring Language Teacher Efficacy in Japan

PSYCHOLOGY OF LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING Series Editors: Sarah Mercer,Universität Graz, AustriaandStephen Ryan, Waseda University, Japan

This international, interdisciplinary book series explores the exciting, emerging field of Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching. It is a series that aims to bring together works which address a diverse range of psychological constructs from a multitude of empirical and theoretical perspectives, but always with a clear focus on their applications within the domain of language learning and teaching. The field is one that integrates various areas of research that have been traditionally discussed as distinct entities, such as motivation, identity, beliefs, strategies and self-regulation, and it also explores other less familiar concepts for a language education audience, such as emotions, the self and positive psychology approaches. In theoretical terms, the new field represents a dynamic interface between psychology and foreign language education and books in the series draw on work from diverse branches of psychology, while remaining determinedly focused on their pedagogic value. In methodological terms, sociocultural and complexity perspectives have drawn attention to the relationships between individuals and their social worlds, leading to a field now marked by methodological pluralism. In view of this, books encompassing quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies are all welcomed.

All books in this series are externally peer-reviewed.

Full details of all the books in this series and of all our other publications can be found on http://www.multilingual-matters.com, or by writing to Multilingual Matters, St Nicholas House, 31-34 High Street, Bristol BS1 2AW, UK.

PSYCHOLOGY OF LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING: 5

Exploring Language Teacher Efficacy in Japan

Gene Thompson

MULTILINGUAL MATTERS Bristol • Blue Ridge Summit

DOI https://doi.org/10.21832/THOMPS5396 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Names: Thompson, Gene, 1978- author. Title: Exploring Language Teacher Efficacy in Japan/Gene Thompson. Description: Blue Ridge Summit: Multilingual Matters, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “This book focuses on the individual and collective beliefs of teachers. It discusses personal and collective dimensions of language teacher efficacy, discusses the ways in which efficacy beliefs develop, helps further understanding of factors that may influence teacher self-efficacy and suggests new directions for future research studies”— Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2019021980 (print) | LCCN 2019981510 (ebook) | ISBN 9781788925396 (hardback) | ISBN 9781788925389 (paperback) | ISBN 9781788925419 (epub) | ISBN 9781788925402 (pdf) | ISBN 9781788925426 (kindle edition) Subjects: LCSH: English language—Study and teaching (Higher)—Japan. | English language—Study and teaching (Higher)—Japanese speakers. | Second language acquisition—Study and teaching—Japan. Classification: LCC PE1068.J3 T485 2019 (print) | LCC PE1068.J3 (ebook) | DDC 428.0071—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019021980 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019981510

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN-13: 978-1-78892-539-6 (hbk) ISBN-13: 978-1-78892-538-9 (pbk)

Multilingual Matters UK: St Nicholas House, 31-34 High Street, Bristol BS1 2AW, UK. USA: NBN, Blue Ridge Summit, PA, USA.

Website: www.multilingual-matters.com Twitter: Multi_Ling_Mat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/multilingualmatters Blog: www.channelviewpublications.wordpress.com

Copyright © 2020 Gene Thompson.

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

The policy of Multilingual Matters/Channel View Publications is to use papers that are natural, renewable and recyclable products, made from wood grown in sustainable forests. In the manufacturing process of our books, and to further support our policy, preference is given to printers that have FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody certification. The FSC and/or PEFC logos will appear on those books where full certification has been granted to the printer concerned.

Typeset by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India. Printed and bound in the UK by the CPI Books Group Ltd. Printed and bound in the US by Thomson-Shore, Inc.

Contents

Figures and Tables Abbreviations and Japanese Terms About the Author Acknowledgments Preface

1 Introduction 1.1 Background of the Study 1.2 Why Study Teacher Efficacy? 1.3 Chapter Summary 2 Teacher Efficacy as a Form of Self-Efficacy 2.1 A Brief History: Two Views of Teacher Efficacy 2.2 Teacher Efficacy within Social Cognitive Theory 2.3 How Efficacy Beliefs Differ from Other Self-Constructs 2.4 The Development of Efficacy Beliefs 2.5 Additional Factors that May Influence Efficacy Beliefs 2.6 Assessment of Efficacy Beliefs 2.7 Chapter Summary 3 Language Teacher Efficacy 3.1 Self-Efficacy for Language Teaching 3.2 Dimensions of Language Teacher Efficacy 3.3 Development of Language Teacher Efficacy Beliefs 3.4 Other Factors Related to LTE Beliefs 3.5 Language Teacher Efficacy in Japan 3.6 Chapter Summary 4 Approaches for Investigating Language Teacher Efficacy 4.1 Considerations for Teacher Efficacy Researchers 4.2 Approaches for Investigating Foreign Language Teacher Efficacy 4.3 Research Design: Exploring JTE Teacher Efficacy

v

ix xi xiii xiv xv

1 2 7 10 12 12 16

18 21 25 26 29 31 31 33 36 39 40 42 44 44

47 49

vi Contents

5

6

7

8

9

4.4 Chapter Summary Developing a Language Teacher Efficacy Scale 5.1 Using a Local Panel to Develop an Efficacy Instrument 5.2 The Expert Panel 5.3 The Exploratory Cycle 5.4 Item Translation Process 5.5 The Evaluative Cycle 5.6 Chapter Summary JTE Language Teacher Efficacy Beliefs and Dimensions 6.1 Key Areas of Challenge for Japanese Teachers of English 6.2 Teacher Efficacy Beliefs of Japanese High School English Teachers 6.3 Dimensions of JTE Efficacy 6.4 Variation in Dimensions of Language Teacher Efficacy 6.5 Chapter Summary Language Teacher L2 Efficacy and L2 Usage 7.1 Perceived L2 Capability as a Dimension of Language Teacher Efficacy 7.2 Teacher Efficacy Beliefs and English Proficiency 7.3 Use of English as a Teaching Language 7.4 Factors that Influence Efficacy towards the Use of English 7.5 Chapter Summary Efficacy for Language Instruction 8.1 Two Dimensions of L2 Instructional Efficacy for the JTE Context 8.2 Factors that Influence Efficacy towards L2 Instruction 8.3 Factors Associated with Communicative Teaching Efficacy 8.4 Predictors of Efficacy towards Student Achievement 8.5 Chapter Summary Efficacy Towards Collaborative Practice and Collective Action 9.1 Individual, Collective and Collaborative Teacher Efficacy 9.2 Collective and Collaborative Efficacy in Language Teaching Contexts 9.3 Efficacy towards Collaborative Practice 9.4 Predictors of Efficacy towards Collaborative Practice

57 59

59 60 61 66 67 72 73

74

76 79 82 84 86

87 90 93

96 99 101

102 104

106 111 114

116

117

119 120 124

10

11

Contentsvii

9.5 Towards Stronger Efficacy for Collective Action 9.6 Chapter Summary Language Teacher Efficacy Belief Development 10.1 Sources of Language Teacher Efficacy 10.2 Personal Experience as a Source of Efficacy Information 10.3 The Social Nature of Teacher Practice 10.4 Efficacy Development Over Time 10.5 Chapter Summary Where Next for LTE Research? 11.1 Key Findings 11.2 Where Next: Suggestions for Future Research 11.3 Final Summary

References Index

127 129 131 132 136 138 143 144 147 148 150 157

159 179

Figures and Tables

Tables Table 4.1 Japanese Teacher of English Teacher Efficacy Scale (JTE-TES) Table 4.2 Demographic items used in the survey stages of the study Table 5.1 The expert panel Table 5.2 Steps and processes of the thematic analysis Table 5.3 Initial items for assessment by the experts in the exploratory interviews Table 5.4 Item rating scales used in the ‘evaluative’ expert interviews Table 5.5 JTE-TES items for the survey stages of the study Table 6.1 Descriptive statistics and efficacy dimensions of the JTE-TES Table 6.2 JTE-TES items informed by the TSES Table 7.1 Correlations between English proficiency and JTE-TES factors Table 7.2 Summary of regression analysis for variables predicting Using English Table 8.1 Summary of regression analysis for variables predicting Communicative Teaching Table 8.2 Summary of regression analysis for variables predicting Student Achievement Table 9.1 Summary of regression analysis for variables predicting Teamwork Table 10.1 Correlation matrix: JTE-TES dimensions and experience with CLT Table 11.1 Suggestions for future research

Figures Figure 2.1 Conceptual framework of self-efficacy assessment Figure 4.1 Summary of the research design

i

x

52

53 62 64

65

67 71

77 83

91

97

108

111

124

136 151

17 50

x Figures and Tables

Figure 5.1 Processes used to develop the JTE-TES Figure 7.1 Predictors of the use of English as the language of instruction Figure 11.1 Predictors of JTE-TES dimensions

61

95 149