PRE SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ PERCEIVED SELF EFFICACY IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT = mức độ tự TIN vào NĂNG lực bản THÂN TRONG VIỆC QUẢN lý lớp học của SINH VIÊN sư PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

GRADUATE PAPER

PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ PERCEIVED
SELF-EFFICACY IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Supervisor: Nguyễn Thu Hiền PhD.
Student: Mai Thu Phương
Course: QH2017.F1.E8

HÀ NỘI – 2021


ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

MỨC ĐỘ TỰ TIN VÀO NĂNG LỰC BẢN THÂN TRONG
VIỆC QUẢN LÝ LỚP HỌC CỦA SINH VIÊN SƯ PHẠM
TIẾNG ANH

Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Tiến sĩ Nguyễn Thu Hiền
Sinh viên: Mai Thu Phương
Khóa: QH2017.F1.E8

HÀ NỘI – 2021

Signature of Approval

Supervisor’s comments and suggestions
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________


ACCEPTANCE PAGE
I hereby state that I: Mai Thu Phuong – 17E8, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor
of Arts (mainstream program) accept the requirements of the College relating to the
retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library.

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library
should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal
conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper.

Signature

Mai Thu Phuong


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
To complete this research paper, we owe profound indebtedness to a number of
people for their unconditional and invaluable support.

First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor,
Ms. Nguyen Thu Hien, for her detailed instructions, critical comments and precious support

during all stages of the study and beyond, which enhances my confidence in completing
this thesis.

Second, we also wish to acknowledge the active participation of 87 senior students
for the data collection procedures and 8 interviewees, which has always been the decisive
factor in the success of this thesis.

Last but not least, it would be an omission without mentioning the necessary
assistance from our beloved families and friends with their great encouragement in any
circumstances.

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ABSTRACT
The current study aims to explore pre-service teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy
for classroom management in Vietnamese contexts and the reasons behind them through
the lens of pre-service English language student teachers. An explanatory research design
was employed to accomplish the purpose of this investigation. The quantitative data were
collected through a four-point Likert-scale survey, while the qualitative data were collected
via semi-structured interviews to discover the reasons behind the participants’ answers in
the survey. The findings show that most pre-service teachers were quite confident in their
ability to manage future English classrooms. To specify, student teachers were less
confident in their ability to keep class in order via a series of rules and procedures than in
how to maintain effective learning and teaching process, and a harmonious classroom
atmosphere. A number of reasons were reported by pre-service teachers for such beliefs,
including their teaching experience, their awareness of classroom management, and their
emotions and characteristics.
Key words: classroom management, self-efficacy, pre-service teachers.

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ABBREVIATIONS

EFL

English as a Foreign Language

ELT

English Language Teaching

ETCF

English Teacher Competency Framework

M

Mean

SPSS

Statistics Package for Social Science

SD

Standard Deviation

TSES

Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale

LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES

Table 1: The Summary of Descriptive Statistics

Figure 1: Gender of Participants
Figure 2: Perceived Self-efficacy in Discipline Dimension
Figure 3: Perceived Self-efficacy in Teaching and Learning Dimension – Organization of
the Lesson
Figure 4: Perceived Self-efficacy in Teaching and Learning Dimension – Interaction
During the Lesson
Figure 5: Perceived Self-efficacy in Personal Dimension – Teacher – Student Personal
Communication
Figure 6: Perceived Self-efficacy in Personal Dimension – Psychological and Social
Classroom Environment

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..............................................................................................I
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. II
ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................III
LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES ....................................................................................III
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1
1.1. RESEARCH STATEMENT AND RATIONALE OF THE STUDY ......................................... 1
1.2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................... 2
1.3. SCOPE OF THE STUDY ............................................................................................. 2

1.4. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................. 3
1.5. ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY ............................................................................... 3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................... 4
2.1. CONCEPT OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT ............................................................... 4
2.1.1. Definitions of classroom management............................................................. 4
2.1.2. Important aspects of classroom management .................................................. 5
2.2. THE IMPORTANCE OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT .................................................. 7
2.3. SELF-EFFICACY ...................................................................................................... 9
2.3.1. Self-efficacy for teaching ................................................................................ 9
2.3.2. Self-efficacy for classroom management ....................................................... 11
2.4. SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... 14
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .............................................................................. 15
3.1. THE SETTING OF THE STUDY ................................................................................. 15
3.2. RESEARCH DESIGN ............................................................................................... 15
3.3. THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE STUDY ........................................................................ 16
3.4. DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS ........................................................................ 17
3.4.1. Survey questionnaire..................................................................................... 17
3.4.2. Interviews ..................................................................................................... 19
3.5. PROCEDURE OF DATA COLLECTION ...................................................................... 20
3.6. DATA ANALYSIS................................................................................................... 20
3.7. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................................. 21

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CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ....................................................... 22
4.1. STUDENTS’ PERCEIVED SELF-EFFICACY IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT................. 22
4.1.1. Pre-service teachers’ perceived self-efficacy in Discipline Dimension .......... 23
4.1.2. Pre-service teachers’ perceived self-efficacy in Teaching and Learning
Dimension .............................................................................................................. 25

4.1.3. Pre-service teachers’ perceived self-efficacy in Personal Dimension ............ 28
4.2. PERCEIVED REASONS SELF-EFFICACY IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT.................... 31
4.2.1. Teaching experience ..................................................................................... 31
4.2.2. Awareness of the importance of classroom management ............................... 33
4.2.3. Emotions and characteristics of pre-service teachers.................................... 34
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................. 36
5.1. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS ................................................................................ 36
5.2. PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS .............................................................................. 37
5.3. LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY......................................... 37
5.4. CONCLUDING REMARKS ....................................................................................... 38
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................I
APPENDICES .......................................................................................................... XIII

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the rationale for conducting a study that explores the pre-service
teachers’ self-efficacy in classroom management. In addition, this section provides the
research aims, scope, the research questions, the significance of this study, and the
organization of the study.

1.1. Research statement and rationale of the study
Teaching and learning foreign languages generally and English specifically is
believed to have gained much attention from educators and learners in Vietnam in recent
years. It can result from the fact that the external relationship between Vietnam and other
significantly developed countries (Kieu, 2010). Due to this ceaseless international
cooperation, English has become a must for a graduate. It, therefore, leads to high demands
for high-quality English teachers.
One of the most important skills for the professional paths of an English teacher is

classroom management skills (Britt, 1997; Ganser, 1999). In fact, mastery of classroom
management is critically essential for effective teaching and learning (Owens et al., 2017;
Shamina & Mumthas, 2018; Díaz et al., 2018). Therefore, effective classroom management
strategies in teaching are of considerable importance for pre-service teachers. Moreover,
pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their abilities to manage classrooms play an integral
part in how they conduct teaching (Wang, Haertel & Walberg, 1994; Feiman-Neimeser,
2001; Baker, 2002). Literature shows that student teachers who hold strong beliefs in the
capabilities to manage classes are more likely to teach better in the future (Molnar, 2008;
Pendergast, Garvis & Keogh, 2011). Hence, it is necessary to examine such beliefs among
student teachers to help them be more confident in conducting classroom management
strategies, thus being able to effectively manage their own future classrooms.
The research is conducted at one of the most prestigious institutions which educate
future language teachers in Vietnam. Student teachers here are given opportunities to learn
1


English Language Teaching (ELT) courses which cover the most essential aspects of being
an efficient teacher, including teaching methodologies, lesson planning, language
assessment, and classroom management. Within the context of the research, there are
several studies related to classroom management topics such as problems in classroom
management; classroom management strategies used by experienced teachers, and preservice teachers; or the effects of different classroom management styles. However, there
are no published studies addressing pre-service teachers’ classroom management selfefficacy. Therefore, it is high time that senior students discovered their self-efficacy levels
of classroom management. Additionally, as a senior mainstream student studying English
Language Teaching, the researcher realizes and understands how urgent it is to examine
fourth-year students’ classroom management self-efficacy after informal discussions with
classmates and other fourth-year students in the faculty. Therefore, this research is
conducted to investigate pre-service English teachers’ perceived self-efficacy in classroom
management.

1.2. Aims and objectives

The study aims to investigate the degree of self-efficacy for classroom management
among mainstream senior students. Specifically, the study examines different aspects of
classroom management with the intention to find out which classroom management
strategies student teachers believe to be most confident in after graduation. Moreover, the
reasons for their choices are also explored through semi-structured interviews. In other
words, this study aims to find the answer to the question: How do pre-service teachers
perceive their self-efficacy for classroom management?

1.3. Scope of the study
This study focuses on the perceived beliefs in their ability regarding in classroom
management among mainstream fourth-year student teachers in a university in Hanoi. 87
fourth-year students agreed to take part in the survey, and 8 of whom were interviewed.

2


1.4. Significance of the study
This study has both practical and theoretical contributions.
From a practical standpoint, future EFL teachers could evaluate their self-efficacy;
thus adjusting their classroom management strategies by reflecting their intentions. It is
expected that this process could be a supportive step for their upcoming career paths.
Additionally, the findings of this study could be a reference source for EFL educators in
the course and curriculum designing as well as in training. EFL educators in the context of
this study could refer to the findings to make necessary adjustments to maximize the
students’ acquisition of the effectiveness of classroom management strategies.
Theoretically, the results of this study are expected to be able to provide additional
insights concerning pre-service English teachers’ self-efficacy in classroom management.

1.5. Organization of the study
The paper consists of five chapters as follows:

Chapter 1: Introduction – introduces the rationale, the aims, the scope, the significance, the
methodology, and the design of the study.
Chapter 2: Literature review – presents a review of the literature which includes prior
research and discussion relating to classroom management, self-efficacy for teaching and
self-efficacy for classroom management.
Chapter 3: Methodology – elaborates on the research methodology of the study, the
justifications for using the explanatory design, the setting of the study, the participants, the
research instruments, the data collection, the data analysis, and the ethical considerations.
Chapter 4: Findings and discussions – presents and discusses the results of the survey
questionnaire and the interviews.
Chapter 5: Conclusion – presents the summary of the study findings, implications of the
study, limitations of the study, and suggestions for further research.

3


CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter presents a review of relevant literature and related concepts to build up a solid
base for this research.

2.1. Concept of classroom management
2.1.1. Definitions of classroom management
Classroom management is considered a powerful component of the overall
classroom climate that can influence student behavior, engagement, and the quality of
student learning (Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1994; Chambers, 2003; Brophy, 2006). It is
often regarded as a broad umbrella term that illustrates the attempts of teachers to be in
charge of classroom activities, classroom disciplines, and interactions.
Classroom activities are often recognized as the dominant element of various
definitions of classroom management. Classroom management has been viewed as
decisions made by teachers to create and design activities to enable effective teaching and

learning (Evertson & Weinstein, 2006; Deventer & Kruger, 2003). Similarly, classroom
management has been widely identified as planned and organized activities and
procedures, or the process of working with and through individuals, groups, and resources
(Lemmer & Pretorius, 1998; Brophy, 2006).
There is a considerable amount of literature on definitions of classroom
management as classroom disciplines. Specifically, classroom management is often
reduced to a set of strategies for disciplining students’ disruptive behavior (Evertson &
Weinstein, 2006; Choi & Lee, 2008). Sometimes, classroom management definitions
related to disciplines include how to keep the class in order, or a course of practices based
on classroom rules (Wong & Wong, 2009).
A growing body of literature has defined classroom management as interactions
between teachers and students. Researchers, who have different viewpoints on interactions,
all agree that classroom management (as interactions between teachers and students) refers
to to the capacity to engage students in learning through verbal and non-verbal

4


communication (Ozcan, 2017; Erden, 2005; Evertson & Weinstein, 2006; Wong & Wong,
2009). In addition, effective managers of classrooms are believed to have the ability to
create and maintain a healthy and safe environment for students to communicate, and
express their feelings (Evertson & Weinstein, 2006). It is also claimed that classroom
management works well when interactions between teachers and learners are nondisruptive (Wong & Wong, 2009).
Due to the differences among the definitions, it can be concluded that there may be
no definitions that can satisfy all the study contexts. However, there seems to be a
consensus that a manager of a classroom can decide what must be done and how it should
be done; can give students instructions that should be done, and determine whether it has
been done to maximize students’ learning ability. Within the context of this study, which
is classroom management in EFL, the definition of Evertson and Weinstein (2006), which
is “the actions teachers take to create an environment that supports and facilitates both

academic and social-emotional learning” (p.4), is adopted as it can cover all the three
elements of classroom management, and adopted in various related studies (e.g., Aloe,
2014; Shamina & Mumthas, 2018; Grube et al., 2018).

2.1.2. Important aspects of classroom management
Literature shows that there are a variety of views about the essential aspects of
classroom management. As previously discussed in section 2.1.1, classroom management
refers to classroom activities, classroom disciplines, and interactions. Similarly, Díaz et al.
(2018), review studies concerning important classroom management elements, suggest
three main dimensions of classroom management, namely “Discipline Dimension”,
“Teaching and Learning Dimension”, and “Personal Dimension” (p.272). The first
dimension includes in-class strategies of teachers to keep the class in order, as well as
guidelines for parents to cooperate with them. The second dimension consists of techniques
that can better the organization of the class, and the interactions during the lessons. The

5


third dimension focuses on the teacher–student communication, and the emotional aspects
of students.
Many attempts have been made in order to emphasize the importance of disciplinary
interventions in the success of classroom management (e.g. Choi & Lee, 2008; Scrivener,
2005; Marzano, Marzano, & Pickering, 2003; Díaz et al., 2018). One of the most significant
aspects of effective classroom management includes the creation and implementation of
classroom rules and procedures. Should teachers not have guidelines for how to behave
appropriately, they are less likely to conduct instructions for students to learn efficiently
(Evertson, Emmer, & Worsham, 2003). Similarly, a set of strategies for disciplining can
support the classroom manager most (Choi & Lee, 2018). Conversely, unproductive
procedures and the neglect of routines for everyday aspects of classroom life can waste a
large amount of time and wane students’ attention (Marzano, Marzano, & Pickering, 2003).

In addition to in-class disciplines, the importance of rules and procedures is apparent from
the research on the home environment. For instance, in research consisting of nearly 70,000
pairs of parents and children, Xitan Fan and Michael Chen (2001) came to the conclusion
that should students obey rules and procedures at home, the number of disruptive behavior
at school will decrease. Another finding of this research is that the effectiveness of rules
and procedures at home leads to students’ academic achievement – proof of classroom
management success, which is in line with the research of Rosas and West (2009).
Regarding the teaching and learning dimension of classroom management, much
research has been carried out (e.g. Lemmer & Pretorius, 1998; Deventer & Kruger, 2003;
Scrivener, 2005; Brophy, 2006; Díaz et al., 2018). It is crucial to emphasize the importance
of classroom settings in teaching and learning activities. Classroom management is
believed to consist of a series of ongoing teaching and learning activities that should
enhance the teaching quality (Deventer & Kruger, 2003). Therefore, pre-service teachers
will be able to manage the class better as long as they are provided with adequate
knowledge and skills about teaching and learning process (Lemmer & Pretorius, 1998). To
specify, prospective teachers should be equipped with activities that appeal to students’
interests, needs, and capacities (Deventer & Kruger, 2003). Therefore, one of the critical
6


abilities of effective managers of a classroom is the ability to decide what and how tasks
or actions should be done.
The third aspect of effective classroom management is the interactions between
teachers and students. It has now been shown that teacher-student relationships play a key
role in other factors (e.g. Marzano, Marzano, & Pickering, 2003; Brophy, 2006, Evertson
& Weinstein, 2006). Should there be a positive relationship between teachers and students,
students are more likely to accept and follow the rules as well as become more engaged in
classroom activities (Evertson & Weinstein, 2006). One of the first systematic studies on
the efficiency of the relationships between teachers and students was carried out in 1994
by Sheets, indicating that the majority of problems that occurred could have been avoided

by closer teacher-student relationships. Therefore, student socialisation is viewed as an
important task to be implemented as effective classroom managers (Brophy, 2006). In his
review of the literature, Brophy (2006) noted that teachers should take actions that could
influence personal and social attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of students. Hence,
expectations and wishes are communicated, desirable and attributes and behaviors are
taught and modeled. Consequently, better self-discipline in students and connectedness to
school is found, which may enhance the quality of the classroom. In conclusion, it is safe
to say that using proper techniques in communicating with students can cultivate the chance
of successful classroom management.

2.2. The importance of classroom management
Classroom management has become increasingly important over the past few
decades (Jepson & Forrest, 2006; Hamann, 1985; Mercer & Mercer, 1986; O’Hair, 1995,
Clunies-Ross, Little, & Akin-Little, 2008; Lewis, Romi, Qui, & Katz, 2005). Firstly,
regarding the academic achievement of students, classroom management is believed to
have the most significant impact. Conversely, when classrooms are mismanaged, student
achievement and outcomes are directly impacted (Brouwers & Tomics, 2000). Indeed,
effective teaching and learning cannot and will not take place in a poorly managed

7


classroom (Marzano, Marzano & Pickering, 2003). In other words, it can be said that one
of the most important roles of a teacher is to be a classroom manager. Secondly, effective
classroom management strategies can also prevent discipline problems. For example, good
classroom managers through the implementation of exciting classroom materials and
activities are believed to be able to reduce disruptive behavior (Jepson & Forrest, 2006).
Students’ cooperation, a signal of a successful class, can only be reinforced with proper
management techniques (Allen, 2010). According to Buluc (2004), teachers with
appropriate classroom management strategies can deliver a course of practices based on

classroom rules which may decrease students’ misbehavior, and increase their independent
learning capacities. Lastly, pre-service teachers are probably in need of preparations for
proper classroom management skills. For instance, Shamina and Mumthas (2018) found
out that pre-service teachers were less likely to endure the complexities and multiple
dynamics of teaching due to ineffective classroom management techniques.
Although classroom management plays an important role in teaching and learning,
it remains a major challenge and concern to many teachers (Evertson & Weinstein, 2006).
Should one teacher not manage a classroom properly, many problems may arise such as
increased frequency of violence and bullying (Allen, 2010), as well as teacher levels of
stress and burnout (Hamann, 1985; Little & Akin-Little, 2008).
School violence and bullying are recognized as major concerns in the field of
education. One of the main reasons for them is sorted to poor classroom management.
(Crothers & Kolbert, 2008). When teachers fail to manage classes properly, children are
more likely to behave aggressively. Therefore, their academic performance, social
interactions, and emotional expression will be negatively influenced (Alvarez, 2007).
Moreover, inconsistent decisions of teachers inside the class may lead to students’
undesirable behaviors such as bullying and violence (Kochenderfer-Ladd & Pelletier,
2008), and even misbehaviors in their life later (Goldstein, 1995). Therefore, the strategies
used by teachers, whether supportive or not, are likely to have a lifelong influence on
children.

8


Besides school violence and bullying, teacher stress and burnout are also
consequences of inappropriate classroom management strategies. Although there are a
number of factors relating to teacher stress, the most predominant one can be classroom
misbehavior and discipline. For example, lack of students’ interest, violence, and
undesirable behavior, disrespect, the loudness of students directly contribute to higher
levels of teacher stress. In addition, studies revealed that the teachers’ feeling of insufficient

preparation in handling classroom management problems can be considered as a
predictable stress determinant (Merrett & Wheldall, 1993; Silvestri, 2001; Youseff, 2003).
Teacher stress and burnout are also believed to have negative effects on students such as
the decrease in the students’ productivity and performance within the class (Payne, 1994).
Therefore, effective classroom management strategies can lead to the improvement of
teachers’ mental health, which consequently enhances the quality of students.

2.3. Self-efficacy
2.3.1. Self-efficacy for teaching
Self-efficacy has created a developing part of literature in education since Bandura’s
articles (1996, 1997, 2000) were published. He is considered one of the first scholars to
investigate the term “efficacy”. His main assertion was the co-influence between behavior,
personal factors, and environmental factors. He visualized the concept by using reciprocal
determinism to figure out that each of the three factors had effects on each other. In the
field of education, Bandura (1995) claimed that teacher efficacy is “the teacher’s belief in
his or her capability to organize and execute courses of action required to successfully
accomplish a specific teaching task in a particular context” (p.120). It presents the
reflection about what teachers will be able to handle in a particular setting, not what they
already accomplished, or why they did accomplish it in the past (Hoy, Goddard &
Woolfolk, 2004). Moreover, it is well-known that the greater efficacy teachers have, the
better they perform their teaching (Tschannen-Moran, Woolfolk Hoy & Hoy, 1998). Selfefficacy, by those scholars, has been understood as what teaches teachers the capability to

9


organize and implement a series of actions. Thus, self-efficacy is directly linked to the
efficaciousness of teachers in class.
The concept of self-efficacy in teachers refers to general teaching self-efficacy and
a sense of personal teaching self-efficacy (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001). Firstly,
general teaching self-efficacy has been related to the particular expectation that measures

the extent to which the knowledge students have been taught by the guide of teachers. To
be more specific, teachers who have strong teaching self-efficacy tend to believe that they
are more likely to direct student performance better and faster. When having to deal with
obstacles such as students’ ability or their secrets that affect the learning process, these
teachers have the tendency to challenge themselves with activities that can solve the
problems despite difficulties. When their work is accomplished, they are proud of
themselves (Ashton & Webb, 1986). In their beliefs, should students be given proper
conditions, all of them can learn (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001). Secondly, personal
teaching self-efficacy is implied as the self-assessments of their own teaching performance.
Their perceived teaching ability will influence their choices to manage and facilitate
classrooms and teaching strategies (Gibson & Dembo, 1984). Indeed, teachers with lower
personal self-efficacy will doubt their ability to motivate a number of students. As a result,
teaching effectiveness will probably decrease because teachers tend to allow students to
ignore class rules and the teachers themselves are not able to remain in control of the
class. (Ashton & Webb, 1986).
The development of teacher efficacy beliefs among pre-service teachers is an
increasing research interest (Tschannen-Moran et al., 1998; Veenman, 1984). Results in
recent studies reveal that the length of teachers’ career journey can affect the levels of their
self-efficacy belief.

Studies that investigated teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs through

“Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale” indicate that student teachers or novice teachers’
initial enthusiasm tends to somewhat decrease in the first few months of their career
journey (e.g. Pendergast et al., 2011; Tantrarungroj & Suwannatthachote, 2012; Silvestri,
2001). The results indicated that their self-efficacy beliefs tend to be over-estimated when
they have almost no practical experience in the education field. In contrast, when finishing
10

the semester, they considered their self-efficacy at a lower level. This can be explained by
the fact that the increase in the depth of understanding of the teaching profession was
achieved via both their studies at university and experiences when teaching (Pendergast et
al., 2011). The solution to this issue is to give preventative crucial feedback, which is
believed to bring positive changes to the levels of their self-efficacy (Chambers, 2003).
There is a positive relationship between pre-service teachers’ academic performance and
self-efficacy beliefs. A study was conducted by Baris (2015) in order to distinguish the
reasons for the decision of the teaching career by pre-service teachers and their selfefficacy beliefs; however, the findings reveal that prospective teachers with a high sense
of self-efficacy tended to work and try harder in the face of difficulties, which bettered
their academic results.
Pre-service teacher efficacy has also been the focus of research in other EFL
contexts such as in Taiwan, Iran, and Turkey (e.g. Kulekci, 2011; Zehir-Topkaya, 2010;
Anthony & Saidi, 2008; Liaw, 2009). Kulekci (2011) conducted a study whose aims were
to investigate pre-service English teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and to evaluate the
influence of some variables (gender, grade level, department preference) on the selfefficacy of pre-service English teachers. The results indicated that if English language
teachers had strong self-efficacy beliefs, they were more likely to achieve better academic
results and more effective classroom management activities (Gibson & Dembo, 1984). In
Iran, a study was carried out by Anthony and Said (2008) to explore the level of selfefficacy of 155 student teachers before and after teaching practicum to make a prediction
about the effectiveness in their future teaching. This study employed the Teachers’ Sense
of Efficacy Scale of Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy (2001) with 155 students from
one university and found that self-efficacy was regarded as an accurate predictor of the
behavior of pre-service teachers.

2.3.2. Self-efficacy for classroom management
As previously discussed in section 2.3.1, teacher efficacy topics have gained
popularity for a long time, so does classroom management self-efficacy. Self-efficacy in
11


classroom management is the extent to which a teacher feels competent in organizing a

classroom, maintaining order, and gaining the participation and attention of all students
(Marzano, Marzano, & Pickering, 2003; Owens et al., 2017). With pre-service teachers,
lower level of classroom management self-efficacy is considered as the most common
concern.

Studies show that a large number of student teachers acquire inadequate

knowledge of proper classroom management strategies (Britt, 1997; Ganser, 1999; White,
1995). Consequently, efficiency as well as the productivity of the lessons might be
negatively affected. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the pre-service teachers’ selfefficacy perceptions about classroom management in varied contexts.
In recent studies, it is proved that teachers’ self-efficacy has a strong relationship
with a wide range of aspects in the education field including classroom management.
Classroom management strategies refer to how to instruct students as well as how to raise
questions effectively, the levels of risk-taking and development, teacher feedback and
feedforward (Gibson & Dembo, 1984). Moreover, many positive achievements of students
are found to be linked with high levels of teachers’ self-efficacy classroom management.
Caprara et al. (2006), based on a study of over 2000 Italian high school teachers, claim that
level of self-efficacy potentially affected teachers’ ability to promote a harmonious
learning atmosphere, which would then influence students’ achievement. In another study,
teachers who had high levels of self-efficacy were more likely to contribute more to
classroom management strategies such as class activities and class obstacles, which might
promote the efficacy of students (Sewell & St-George, 2000; Usher & Pajares, 2006). With
the same results, in 2008, Cheung indicated that thanks to the highly efficacious teachers
in terms of classroom organisation, significant improvements in academic achievement,
inner motivation, and a solid belief in their students’ efficacy have been made.
In addition, it is believed that teachers’ sense of efficacy is an important predictor
of classroom management. Dollar (2012) indicated that teachers who possess strong
perceived self-efficacy are more likely to better their classroom management skills,
compared to those with lower self-efficacy beliefs. According to Anthony and Kritsonis
(2007), classroom management practices that are employed by teachers with higher levels

12


of self-efficacy are proved to be more organized with more detailed preparation, less
teacher-centered, and more open to student ideas. Shernoff and Kratochwill (2007)
indicated that limited classroom management skills and the lower frequency of
compliments of teachers are two main factors that lead to bad behaviors of students in class.
On the contrary, highly efficacious teachers tend to praise students more, be more willing
to deal with the class as small groups rather than the class as a whole. Moreover, they are
believed to be able to handle critical moments such as when students have a behaviour
problem or/and a learning one (Tschannen-Moran et al., 1998).
Another relationship between teachers’ classroom management and self-efficacy
beliefs is the differences among teachers’ behavior in class. Studies indicated that how a
teacher behaves to manage classes is likely to reflect his or her self-efficacy (e.g. Henson,
2001; Gibson & Dembo, 1984; Baker, 2002). An observational study was carried out with
the aim to explore the gap between teachers with low and high self-efficacy (Henry, 2001).
The results revealed that low-efficacious teachers tended to have less patience with slowresponsive students and more critical of their failures. On the contrary, more effort, time,
and compliments were spent on students’ academic activities and their achievements
(Gibson & Dembo, 1984). Incecay and Dollar (2012) also conducted research about
classroom management, self-efficacy and readiness of student teachers in Turkey. The
findings showed that the scores of classroom management efficacy scale and those of
readiness scale were corresponding. With the same research purposes, Baker (2002)
discovered the beliefs of student teachers on their self-efficacy concerning general
classroom management strategies and their level of readiness to tackle personal wishes and
desires of students. The results showed that high efficacious pre-service teachers were more
willing to apply and implement specialized techniques to control challenging classroom
moments. Along with the results of this study, Giallo and Little (2003) reported that severe
and unmanageable behaviors of students were more likely to be controlled better by
teachers who were perceived to have high classroom management self-efficacy. Similar
trends have been identified in other studies which indicated that poor classroom

management skills are linked to teachers’ burnout and lower levels of self-efficacy (Ross,
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Romer, & Horner, 2012). A particular report on classroom management preparation in
elementary education programs in the United States also revealed that lack of preparedness
of classroom management strategies would lead to lower readiness to come to class. To
solve this problem, Monroe et al. (2004) suggested a possible solution which is the
collaboration between the relevant knowledge and the guided practice such as microteaching.

2.4. Summary
Classroom management is considered one of a number of important and challenging
issues for both in-service and pre-service teachers (Brophy, 2006). In order to run the class
smoothly and effectively, teachers must master knowledge, skills and hold a positive belief
in the abilities (Bandura, 1996).
The literature review shows that prospective teachers’ beliefs of self-efficacy for
classroom management play an important role in their future teaching. Teachers with high
levels of classroom management self-efficacy are more likely to manage the class more
smoothly, which may influence students’ achievement (Caprara et al., 2006). Conversely,
teachers who hold less positive beliefs in their capacities to manage the class tend to suffer
from higher levels of stress and burnout, as well as more frequency of violence in class
(Hamann, 1985; Little & Akin-Little, 2008).
However, limited research within the study context has examined pre-service
teachers’ classroom management self-efficacy. Hence, there is an urgency to conduct a
study that explores future English language teachers’ beliefs of their self-efficacy for
classroom management and the underlying reasons.
Accordingly, the explanatory research approach is employed to address the focus of
the study. The cohort of students recruited will be preservice English language preservice
teachers. The elaboration of the research methodology of this investigation will be
presented in Chapter 3.

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CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the methodology chosen for this study. Specifically, it presents the
setting of the study, the research design, the participants of the study, the data collection
instruments, the data collection procedure, the data analysis procedure and the ethical
considerations.

3.1. The setting of the study
This study is conducted at one of the leading universities that trains foreign language
teachers and education specialists in Vietnam. Being one of the oldest institutions
specializing in English language in Vietnam, it has grown into one famous destination for
academic excellence, interdisciplinary learning and innovations in English language
teaching and research. Its utmost aim is to train highly qualified educators with knowledge
of language teaching and other pedagogical skills; therefore, investigation into classroom
management as well as self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers is conducted with the
expectations to improve the quality of teaching and learning.

3.2. Research design
This research employed explanatory design to examine the levels of perceived selfefficacy in classroom management of pre-service teachers and the underlying reasons for
their decisions. In this explanatory study, there were two phases of data collection:
quantitative data first, followed by qualitative data (Lingard, Albert, & Levinson, 2008).
They also highlight that the general rationale of this design is that qualitative data help to
explore, explain or build upon initial quantitative results, which can consequently satisfy
the aim of the current study.
Quantitative data were collected through an online survey questionnaire to enable
the researcher to collect data from the targeted participants in a relatively short time
(Creswell, 2014) to understand trends and relationships (Goddard, 2001). To be more

specific, a four-point Likert-scale was used to measure the levels of perceived self-efficacy

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in classroom management. When it comes to qualitative data, semi-structured interviews
were used since they allowed the researcher to explain, or elaborate on, the quantitative
results in the first phase (Yin, 2014). In other words, this is a research approach used to
analyze the meaning of the context (Punch, 2014).

3.3. The participants of the study
The participants of this study were carefully selected so that the practicality and
reliability can be assured at the highest level. To be more specific, they were the final-year
students of the English language education program in this institution with advanced
English proficiency. Moreover, these participants have completed their compulsory
courses in which they learnt about a variety of teaching theories and teaching
methodologies, as well as classroom management strategies. Furthermore, as the research
aims to investigate the most generalized perceived beliefs of mainstream relating to selfefficacy in classroom management of pre-service teachers, student teachers who are
studying fast track program are not included in the research. Hence, only fourth-year
students at mainstream program were chosen to take part in the research.
The online survey was taken by 87 respondents or 68% of the total mainstream preservice teacher population. The gender information of the participants is illustrated in
Figure 1.

Male
6%
Female
Female
94%

Figure 1: Gender of Participants

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Male