The relationship among self-efficacy, self-concept, and burnout among Iranian EFL teachers: A structural equation modelling analysis

Document Type : Research

Authors

1 Assistant Professor in TEFL, University of Kurdistan

2 MA student in TEFL, University of Kurdistan

3 Assistant Professor in TEFL, Damghan University

4 Assistant Professor in TEFL, Rasht Branch, Islamic Azad University

Abstract

It should be noted that every teacher has his/her particular personality factors, value systems, ideologies, and cognition which greatly influence the decisions they make and the activities they do in the classroom (Donald, 2000). As a result, a bulk of studies have been carried out to shed more light on the individual and psychological variables of teachers. In this line of inquiry, the investigation of the associations among some teacher-related variables such as teacher self-efficacy, burnout, emotional intelligence, commitment, resilience, and job satisfaction has enjoyed much research attention.
Grounded in social cognitive theory and first introduced by Bandura (1997), self-efficacy is defined as “belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments” (p.3).  As far as educational contexts and teachers are concerned, self-efficacy was defined by Tschannen-Moran, Hoy, and Hoy (1998) as “the teacher's belief in his or her capability to organize and execute courses of action required to accomplish a specific teaching task in a particular context” (p.22).
As another teacher-related variable, burnout is defined as a dysfunctional response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors at work. It occurs more in interpersonally oriented occupations such as the teaching profession (Maslach, 1999; Maslach & Leiter, 1999). Individuals who burn out are enduring stress overload and devaluating others as well as themselves, accordingly, they show a syndrome of emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DE), and reduced personal accomplishment (RPA) (Maslach, 1999).
Teacher self-concept can be broadly defined as teachers’ self-perceptions of their teaching effectiveness. Researchers have emphasized the importance of teachers’ competence beliefs (often labeled as self-efficacy or self-concept), which may influence teacher-related psychological variables (Devos, Dupriez, & Paquay, 2012). Overall, the purpose of the present study was set to investigate the role of teachers’ sense of efficacy and self-concept as predictors of teacher burnout in the Iranian EFL context.
To this end, three validated scales measuring these variables were administered to 184 male and female teachers. The collection of the required data was initiated by distributing the questionnaires of the three variables to the participants. To ease the data collection procedure, both online and paper-and-pencil versions of the questionnaires were used. As the participants had a good command of English proficiency, the English version of the questionnaires was administered to the EFL teachers. The online versions of the questionnaires were created by placing the items of the questionnaires on Google Docs and then shared on internet channels and groups in which Iranian EFL teachers from various parts of the country are joined.
The gathered data were analyzed by the SPSS AMOS 20.  First, the dataset was examined with regard to the missing and outlier values. The analysis initially indicated that there were no wrongly coded data. Additionally, while analyzing the missing values, few missing items were randomly assigned through the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. Afterward, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to examine the prediction of independent over dependent variables and various goodness of fit indices were analyzed.
The results indicated that teacher self-concept accounted for 14.5% of the variance, and teacher self-efficacy accounted for 22.6% of the variance in burnout. Although both variables had a unique effect on teaching burnout, teacher self-efficacy turned out to be a stronger predictor of burnout. Concerning the implications of this study, teacher education programs should pay more serious attention to teacher self-efficacy and self-concept as they proved to play a significant role in reducing teacher burnout. From this perspective, EFL teacher educators are recommended to adopt a practical course of action to foster both teacher self-concept and self-efficacy in order to help both pre-service and in-service teachers to cope with stressful situations in a more effective way. To this end, teacher education programs should focus on teachers’ professional identity which is closely associated with both teacher reflection and self-efficacy. Development of teacher identity requires interpretation and reinterpretation of who the teacher is and whom he aspires to be. Through this process of identity re-construction, ELT teachers can become more reflective, thereby becoming more emotionally attached to their jobs (Holland & Lachicotte, 2007). If the Iranian ELT community gets closer to professionalism by re-constructing identities of ELT practitioners more effectively, enhanced teachers’ self-efficacy and their improved reflectivity would reduce their stress and burnout.
As for the suggestions for further research, the generalizability of these findings can be enhanced if future researchers utilize qualitative or mixed methods research designs. Such studies are likely to provide a more in-depth understanding of the variables influencing teaching burnout in EFL contexts.

Keywords

References

Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411-423.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: W H Freeman/Times Books/ Henry Holt & Co.
Betoret, F. D. (2006). Stressors, self‐efficacy, coping resources, and burnout among secondary school teachers in Spain. Educational Psychology, 26 (4), 519-539.
Bong, M., & Clark, R. (1999). Comparison between self-concept and self-efficacy in academic motivation research. Educational Psychologist, 34, 139-153.
Bong, M., & Skaalvik, E. (2003). Academic self-concept and self-efficacy: How different are they really? Educational Psychology Review, 15, 1-40.
Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C., Borgogni, L., & Steca, P. (2003). Efficacy beliefs as determinants of teachers’ job satisfaction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 821-832.
Chang, M. L. (2009). An appraisal perspective of teacher burnout: Examining the emotional work of teachers. Educational psychology review, 21(3), 193-218.
Chesnut, S. R., & Burley, H. (2015). Self-efficacy as a predictor of commitment to the teaching profession: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 15, 1-16.
Donald, J. G. (2000). Indicators of success: From concepts to classrooms. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, April 24–28 2000, New Orleans, USA.
Fathi, J., & Derakhshan, A. (2019). Teacher self-efficacy and emotional regulation as predictors of teaching stress: An investigation of Iranian English language teachers. Teaching English Language, 13(2), 117-143.
Fathi, J., & Savadi Rostami, E. (2018). Collective teacher efficacy, teacher self-efficacy, and job satisfaction among Iranian EFL Teachers: The mediating role of teaching commitment. Journal of Teaching Language Skills, 37(2), 33-64.
Fathi, J., & Saeedian, A. (2020). A structural model of teacher self-efficacy, resilience, and burnout among Iranian EFL teachers. Iranian Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 9(2), 14-28.
Friedman, A. I. (2003). Self-efficacy and burnout in teaching: The importance of interpersonal-relations efficacy. Social Psychology of Education, 6, 191-215.
Friedman, A. I., & Farber, B. A. (1992). Professional self-concept as a predictor of teacher burnout. The Journal of Educational Research, 86(1), 28-35.
Gow, L., & Kember, D. (1993). Conceptions of teaching and their relationship to student learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 63, 20-23.
Guskey, T. R. (1988). Teacher efficacy, self-concept, and attitudes toward the implementation of instructional innovation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 4, 63-69.
Ho, A., Watkins, D., & Kelly, M. (2001). The conceptual change approach to improving teaching and learning: An evaluation of a Hong Kong staff development programme. Higher Education, 42(2), 143–169.
Hamed Hoomanfard, M. & Rahimi, M. (2020). A comparative study of the efficacy of teacher and peer online written corrective feedback on EFL learners' writing ability. Zabanpazhuhi, 11 (33), 327-352 [In Persian].
Howard, S., & Johnson, B. (2004). Resilient teachers: Resisting stress and burnout. Social Psychology of Education, 7(4), 399-420.
Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1-55.
Jepson, E., & Forrest, S. (2006). Individual contributory factors in teacher stress: The role of achievement striving and occupational commitment. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(1), 183-197.
Khani, R., & Mirzaee, A. (2015). How do self-efficacy, contextual variables and stressors affect teacher burnout in an EFL context? Educational Psychology, 35(1), 93-109.
Klassen, R. M., & Chiu, M. M. (2010). Effects on teachers’ self-efficacy and job satisfaction: Teacher gender, years of experience, and job stress. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3), 741-756.
Klassen, R. M., & Tze, V. M. (2014). Teachers’ self-efficacy, personality, and teaching effectiveness: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 12, 59-76.
Kyriacou, C. (2001). Teacher stress: Directions for future research. Educational Review, 53(1), 27-35.
Lee, M.-H., & Tsai, C.-C. (2010). Exploring teachers’ perceived self-efficacy and technological pedagogical content knowledge with respect to educational use of the world wide web. Instructional Science, 38, 1-21.
Leiter, M. P., & Schaufeli, W. B. (1996). Consistency of the burnout construct across occupations. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 9(3), 229-243.
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2(2), 99-113.
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2008). Early predictors of job burnout and engagement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(3), 498.
Rad, A. Z., & Nasir, R. (2010). Burnout and career self-concept among teachers in Mashhad, Iran. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 7, 464-469.
Roche, L.A., & Marsh, H.W. (2000). Multiple dimensions of university teacher self-concept: Construct validation and the influence of students’ evaluations of teaching. Instructional Science, 28, 439-468.
Sarıçam, H., & Sakız, H. (2014). Burnout and teacher self-efficacy among teachers working in special education institutions in Turkey. Educational Studies, 40(4), 423-437.
Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Van Rhenen, W. (2009). How changes in job demands and resources predict burnout, work engagement, and sickness absenteeism. Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 30(7), 893-917.
Schwarzer, R., & Hallum, S. (2008). Perceived teacher self‐efficacy as a predictor of job stress and burnout: Mediation analyses. Applied Psychology, 57, 152-171.
Shirazizadeh, M., & Karimpour, M. (2019). An investigation of the relationships among EFL teachers’ perfectionism, reflection and burnout. Cogent Education, 6(1), 1667708.
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2007). Dimensions of teacher self-efficacy and relations with strain factors, perceived collective teacher efficacy, and teacher burnout. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(3), 611-625.
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2010). Teacher self-efficacy and teacher burnout: A study of relations. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(4), 1059-1069.
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2017). Motivated for teaching? Associations with school goal structure, teacher self-efficacy, job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, 152-160.
Thurlings, M., Evers, A. T., & Vermeulen, M. (2015). Toward a model of explaining teachers’ innovative behavior: A literature review. Review of Educational Research, 85 (3), 430-471.
Tournaki, N., & Podell, D. M. (2005). The impact of student characteristics and teacher efficacy on teachers’ predictions of student success. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21(3), 299-314.
Tschannen-Moran, M., & Hoy, A. W. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(7), 783-805.
Tschannen-Moran, M., Hoy, A. W., & Hoy, W. K. (1998). Teacher efficacy: Its meaning and measure. Review of Educational Research, 68(2), 202-248.
Tsui, A. B. M., & Wong, J. L. N. (2009). In search of a third space: Teacher development in mainland China. In C. K. K. Chan & N. Rao (Eds.), Revisiting the Chinese learner: Changing contexts, changing education (pp. 281-311). Hong Kong: Springer/The University of Hong Kong, Comparative Education Research Centre.
Ventura, M., Salanova, M., & Llorens, S. (2015). Professional self-efficacy as a predictor of burnout and engagement: The role of challenge and hindrance demands. The Journal of Psychology, 149(3), 277-302.
Villa, A., & Calvete, E. (2001). Development of the teacher self-concept evaluation scale and its relation to burnout. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 27(3), 239-255.
Ware, H., & Kitsantas, A. (2007). Teacher and collective efficacy beliefs as predictors of professional commitment. The Journal of Educational Research, 100(5), 303-310.
Yeung, A. S., Craven, R. G., & Kaur, G. (2014). Teachers’ self-concept and valuing of learning: Relations with teaching approaches and beliefs about students. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 42(3), 305-320.
Zee, M., & Koomen, H. M. (2016). Teacher self-efficacy and its effects on classroom processes, student academic adjustment, and teacher well-being: A synthesis of 40 years of research. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 981-1015.
Zhu, M., Liu, Q., Fu, Y., Yang, T., Zhang, X., & Shi, J. (2018). The relationship between teacher self-concept, teacher efficacy and burnout. Teachers and Teaching, 24(7), 788-801.
ZABANPAZHUHI (Journal of Language Research)
Volume 13, Issue 39
July 2021
Pages 33-55

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics