Bliss or woe? L2 teachers' online self-efficacy beliefs during emergency remote teaching in turbulent times
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Abstract
In February 2023, a massive earthquake struck the southeastern region of Turkey, leaving profound repercussions for eleven cities and thousands of people including numerous teachers and students. Once again, the need for emergency remote teaching arose and schools had to switch back to online instruction, requiring teachers as well as students to quickly adapt to the new circumstances in Turkey. This study aimed to investigate how teachers handled this situation, and focused on examining their online teacher self-efficacy beliefs. The research utilized a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, incorporating an online self-efficacy scale and focus group interviews. A total of 90 participants working at the School of Foreign Languages of a state university were included in the quantitative phase of the study, while 10 volunteers participated in the focus-groups interviews. The findings revealed that participants demonstrated a moderate level of teacher self-efficacy, which was positively influenced by their prior experiences in online teaching. However, no statistically significant variance in teacher self-efficacy level was found among teachers with varying years of overall teaching experience. Teachers expressed confidence in their abilities and a dedication to delivering their best. They acknowledged and praised their own efforts and their swift adaptation to online teaching. However, certain external factors, such as administrative and technical issues, presented challenges impacting their self-confidence. Moreover, students’ lack of motivation and disciplinary issues emerged as additional obstacles to the instructors’ self-beliefs. In line with these findings, the study points to a number of implications for addressing the challenges in online instruction.
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