The Complex Relationship between Linguistic Identity, Course Level, and Class Type: A Survey of Spanish Instructors’ Perceived Self-Efficacy in the Canadian Context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24297/a8trw856Keywords:
Teacher self-efficacy, Spanish as a foreign language instruction, Linguistic identity, Course level, Class typeAbstract
To ensure effective (Spanish) language teaching, it is vital to understand the role of teachers and their own perceptions of self-efficacy. This study is the first to explore Spanish language teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy in the Canadian context. The study investigates the question: What factors impact Spanish language instructors’ perceptions of self-efficacy? In an examination of the factors of linguistic identity, course level, and class type, the study finds that linguistic identity status was not a determining factor of instructors’ self-efficacy perceptions; instructors’ self-efficacy perceptions increased with course level (with beginner-level instructors perceiving the lowest self-efficacy and advanced-level instructors the highest); and class type did not impact instructors’ self-efficacy perceptions. These findings imply that native-versus-non-native categorizations are overly simplistic; there is a problematic tendency to assign beginner courses to instructors who acquired Spanish after their first language and advanced courses to instructors who acquired Spanish as their first language; and there is an opportunity to support instructors’ self-efficacy across class types. This study advances empirical research on Spanish language instructor self-efficacy beliefs. It contributes to perspectives on the importance of investigating multiple, complex variables and employing context-specific research instruments to further understanding of teacher self-efficacy perceptions.
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