Exploring the nexus between EFL instructors' self-efficacy beliefs and professional resilience in hybrid language education contexts: A qualitative case study

The purpose of this study is to examine the connection between self-efficacy and resilience of the in-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructors working at a state university located in the northwest of Türkiye and to explore their coping mechanisms in the face of the problems and difficulties they experienced in the process of teaching English as a foreign language in a hybrid environment. For this purpose, a qualitative case study was selected as the research method, and 12 EFL instructors were included in the study through the convenience sampling method because of the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data collection instruments included demographic data forms, online weekly reflective journals, and online semi-structured focus group interviews. The data analysis was carried out through MAXQDA 2024, a qualitative data analysis software. After the data analysis, the data was categorized into main themes and sub-themes based on the existing literature. The findings of the study indicated that there are various teacher-centric and contextual-instructional dynamics affecting the self-efficacy and resilience of in-service EFL instructors, and there exists a connection between these two constructs. Additionally, it was seen that the EFL instructors have developed different coping strategies against the difficulties and troubles experienced while teaching a foreign language in a hybrid environment. As a result, significant implications for foreign language education are presented in the light of the results obtained.