Enhancing Self-Efficacy of Beginner Teachers in the Use of E-Portfolio: The Role of a Mentor Teacher

Abstract

The term “beginning teacher” describes those individuals who have less than one to three post qualification years in a teaching profession and or individuals who are entering the teaching profession directly from university. A need exists for a beginner teacher in their first year of teaching to have a mentor teacher that will assist them to improve their self-efficacy so that they can be able to achieve quality teaching and learning in any learning environment. Recent studies have shown that there is growing concern with beginner teachers’ self-efficacy on how to deal with and manage the realities of teaching in modern classrooms. A mentor teacher is a teacher who has a wealth of knowledge, learned from experience and is willing to share. The aim of this study was to investigate how the use of e-portfolio may enhance beginner teacher’s self-efficacy with support from their mentor teachers. The beginner teachers are faced with challenges in their first years of teaching; hence they need mentoring, support to improve their self-efficacy. An e-portfolio might be a means which can assist in monitoring and evaluating the professional activity of the beginner teachers, their achievements and develop them. E-portfolio provides openness and transparency when mentoring the teachers. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions with fifty-six (56) randomly selected Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students at a university of technology and thematic analysis was employed. Findings of this study indicated that beginner teachers needed guidance and support from their mentor teachers for beginner teachers to transform and build their self- efficacy positively and improve in their use of e-portfolio. The study recommends that induction support be used as an approach to improve novice teachers’ teaching performance and self- efficacy in the use of e-portfolio.

Thinking ‘out of the box’ When Designing Formative Assessment Activities for the E-Portfolio

“…As such, the e-Portfolio is a productive tool that enables users to gradually assess, continuously give feedback, point out weaknesses that need to be developed, and constantly observe the efficacy of tuition (Akhuledian et al, 2020;Mokone & Setlalentoa, 2023). It is, therefore, a holistic approach to recording achievements while assessing students formatively or in line with professional standards (Spector et al, 2016) "An e-Portfolio is both an organized way of collecting personal data and a holistic learning process where the learner can follow a structured path for selecting, creating, evaluating and reflecting upon achievement and skills for academic, professional and social purpose" (Alexion & Paraskeva, 2020, p.122).…”

Teacher Self-Efficacy and Learner Assessment: A Perspective from Literature on South African Indigenous Languages in the Foundation Phase

“…Self-efficacy in teaching refers to the teachers' belief in their ability to successfully carry out the tasks and responsibilities of teaching (Hayat et al, 2020;Jassim, 2020;Mosoge et al, 2018). It is the confidence teachers have in their ability to create effective learning environments, teach learners in ways that meet their needs and learning styles, and manage their classrooms effectively (Fathi et al, 2021;Mokone & Setlalentoa, 2023;Wray et al, 2022). Self-efficacy in teaching is an important aspect of teachers' effectiveness, as teachers with higher levels of selfefficacy are more likely to use effective teaching practices, which have a positive impact on their learners' learning outcomes (Asare & Amo, 2023;Wray et al, 2022).…”