Unpacking the Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Knowledge Base: Variations Across Levels of Teacher Self-Efficacy

Document Type : Research article

Authors
University of Tehran
Abstract
Despite the abundance of research on the language teachers’ pedagogical knowledge base (PKB), there is a scarcity of studies probing into the teachers’ individual differences and how they relate to the teachers’ instructional effectiveness. To address this gap, we investigated the association of language teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and their instructional efficacy, shedding light on the similarities and differences in the knowledge base of the teachers. Through administering a context-specific self-efficacy test, eight teachers were selected based on their scores and put into two groups. Afterwards, a 90-minute instructional session of each teacher was video-recorded and later used in a stimulated-recall interview with the teacher. The verbal reports were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic content analysis to identify the teachers’ pedagogical thoughts. The results indicated significant differences between the groups, with the high efficacy group reporting an average of 4.18 thoughts-per-minute in contrast to 2.85 thoughts-per-minute reported by the low efficacy group. Five of the dominant knowledge categories were common between the two groups, though with varying frequencies and ranking. The findings offer implications for attending to the construct of self-efficacy and its sources in teacher professional development, as well as the socio-cognitive and emotional side of teacher preparation and development.

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Available Online from 13 July 2025