In-Field vs. Out-of-Field EFL Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Classroom Management Styles and Students’ Performance

Given that teachers’ academic qualification exerts significant effects upon their cognitive- behavioral conduct, especially in the teaching context, which, in turn, has an undeniable and crucial role in their learners’ performance, the present study aimed at investigating the differences between In-Field-Teaching (IFT) EFL teachers and their Out-of-Field Teaching (OFT) counterparts with regard to their Classroom Management (CM) strategies and Teachers’ Self-Efficacy (TSE) beliefs and their students’ achievement. To this end, 60 (30 IFT and 30 OFT) EFL teachers from three different cities in Iran were conveniently selected, and a random sample of 64 EFL learners were picked from the students of both groups of teachers. Two questionnaires, namely, CM Techniques Scale and Teacher Efficacy Scale were used to gather data on CM and TSE, respectively. Moreover, an adapted version of the first certificate in English test was used to assess students’ achievement before and after the instruction. Results revealed that the IFT EFL teachers majorly used positive CM strategies compared to the OFT EFL teachers who mainly used negative CM strategies. Further comparisons, moreover, showed that the IFT EFL teachers had a significantly higher sense of self-efficacy than their counterparts. Additionally, statistical tests indicated that the IFT EFL teachers had a better performance in comparison to the OFT-EFL teachers. Implications of these findings for quality education and quality teaching are discussed in terms of providing subject-specific skills and training programs, specifically for the OFT teachers.