Professional development through action research: Impact on self-efficacy

This paper reports on a study that adopted a mixed method research design to explore the impact of action research on English language teacher candidates' self-efficacy beliefs in a 14-week course in which action research was utilised. The course was designed to help prospective teachers understand and improve their classroom practice and adopt an inquiry-based approach to learning and teaching while contributing to their knowledge base. The participants were given the opportunity and encouraged to take a more active role in their professional development. The study involved the use of self-efficacy scales, reflective journals and a course evaluation form to collect data about the participants' self-efficacy belief changes and learning experiences in the course. The results showed that the participants experienced growth in teaching efficacies, increased self-awareness, improved problem-solving skills and enhanced autonomous learning. These results show that action research is a valuable tool to develop pre-service English language teacher candidates' self-efficacy. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.