The development of pre-service EFL teachers' self-efficacy beliefs via micro teaching procedures in a pre-service training course

This study aims to reveal the probable effects of microteaching on the development of self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service EFL teachers. Moreover, it seeks to increase pre-service teachers' awareness of teacher knowledge through their microteaching experiences in the Teaching Language Skills I course. With those targets in focus, this study was designed as a sequential explanatory design method of a case study with mixed methods research using both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools. At the outset, to check the adequacy and effectiveness of data collection tools, to find any deficiencies in the study and to enhance the quality of the research, a 1-week pilot of this doctoral thesis was conducted with four participants. At the beginning of the semester, The Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) was used to determine the self-efficacy beliefs of teacher candidates before their microteaching experiences, and at the end of the semester to find out whether microteaching experiences have an effect on the pre-service teachers' self-efficacy beliefs. A convenience sampling method was used. The data were analysed using SPSS 20.0. Then, structured interviews, classroom observations and reflection reports were conducted sequentially to collect additional data. In the qualitative part of this study, four pairs, 3 males and 5 females, were selected from the 31 participants who participated in the quantitative part of the study. A purposeful sampling method was used. After this phase, initially, it was planned to observe the preservice teachers in their practicum schools and then conduct interviews. However, due to the devastating effect of the February 6, 2023 earthquakes, changes had to be made in this study phase. In light of the changes made to the dissertation, retrospective surveys were conducted. All the qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. In conclusion, it was revealed that there was an increase in the preservice teachers' self-efficacy beliefs, which was greatest in instructional strategies, followed by classroom management and then student engagement. Moreover, it was concluded that teacher candidates' self-efficacy beliefs are flexible and changeable with new experiences and that their awareness of teacher qualifications increased with microteaching experience, and ultimately, there was a change in their self-efficacy beliefs. In addition, the observations of preservice EFL teachers' microteaching at Time 1 and Time 2 revealed that not all of the espoused theories or teaching beliefs the pre-service teachers put forward in the interviews at Time 1 and Time 2 were observed in the classroom. In this context, it was concluded that without sufficient knowledge and experience in the field, the preservice teachers' thoughts concerning their teaching in the light of the information they had could be misleading. Furthermore, it was revealed that the preservice teachers were unable to implement some strategies because microteaching was not able to fully reflect the real classroom complexity due to its restrictive structure in terms of time and content, as well as the stress and pressure created on them by the video recording of their performances during microteaching. According to the analysis of preservice EFL teacher candidates' reflection reports at Time 1 and Time 2, positive reflections were more prevalent than negative reflections, and most of them were positive descriptions rather than critical evaluations. Besides, it was concluded that at the end of the process, the microteaching experience led to the prospective English teachers gaining a reflective perspective over time and starting to make more critical evaluations, as revealed in the reflection reports at Time 2. As a result of the retrospective surveys, it was concluded that microteaching experience had positive contributions to the development of future ELT teachers' self-efficacy beliefs. Considering this, microteaching practices are recommended for teacher training programs due to their positive effects on pre-service EFL teacher candidates' professional skills and self-efficacy beliefs. What is more, in teacher education programs, the use of applications such as reflection reports, reflective practices, mentoring practices, etc., together with microteaching practices, makes a positive contribution in terms of increasing the reflective and critical thinking skills of future ELT teachers, making learning permanent, providing professional development, guiding them and gaining new perspectives. Keywords: Self-efficacy beliefs, microteaching, teacher education