Effect of EFL Teachers’ Experience and Empowerment on Their EFL Students’ Achievement

Subject Areas : All areas of language and translation

Maryam Ghaffari ¹ , Mohammad Javad Riasati ² , Mohammad Bagheri ³

1 - Department of Foreign Languages, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran
2 - Department of Foreign Languages, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran
3 - Department of Foreign Languages, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran

Received: 2022-12-04 Accepted : 2023-02-04 Published : 2024-01-01

Keywords: Iranian EFL Teachers, teacher empowerment, Students’ achievement, Years of experience,

Abstract :

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Iranian EFL teachers’ years of experience and their empowerment on Iranian EFL students’ achievement. To this end, 70 EFL teachers and 60 intermediate students were selected from different English language institutes in Shiraz, Fars province. The instruments used in this study include the Oxford Quick Placement Test, Demographics, and Teacher Empowerment Questionnaire. The results were analyzed using One-way ANOVA, frequency analysis, independent samples t-test, and Multiple Regression Analysis. The result from the descriptive analysis regarding the distribution of means based upon the responses provided by the participants of the present study indicated that highly experienced teachers view their most empowered subscale as autonomy, status, self-efficacy, impact, decision-making and professional growth, respectively. These results suggested that teachers perceive their highest level of empowerment to reside in their ability to make decisions on what is taught or about curriculum, and to have control over daily schedules. In addition, it is important to mention that low-experienced teachers view their most empowered subscale as self-efficacy, professional growth, status, autonomy, impact and decision-making. The findings of the current research suggest that teachers perceive their highest level of empowerment to reside in their ability to share their skills and knowledge with students to help them learn.

References:

Aliakbari, M. & Azimi A. F. (2016). The effects of teacher empowerment on teacher commitment and student achievement. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 7(4) 649-657.
Amoli, F. A., & Youran, M. (2014). Delving the relationship between teacher em-powerment and job satisfaction among Iranian EFL teachers at Tehran Aviation University. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 4 (4), 771-777.
Azimi, A. F. & Youran, M. (2014). Delving the relationship between teacher em-powerment and job satisfaction among Iranian EFL teachers at Tehran Aviation University. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 4(4) 771-777.
Balyer, A., Özcan, K. & Yildiz, A. (2017). Teacher Empowerment: School Administrators’ Roles. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 70, 1-18.
Bernstein, W. M. (2003). “Empowerment”: A task for the self, not the organization. Organization Development Journal, 21, 75–80.
Blackburn, J., & Robinson, J. (2008). As-sessing teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction of early career agriculture teachers in Kentucky. Journal of Agricultural Education, 49(3), 1-11.
Bleumers, L., All, A., Mariën, I., Schurmans, D., Van Looy, J., Jacobs, A., Willaert, K., & De Grove, F. (2012). State of play of digital games for empowerment and inclusion: A review of the literature and empirical cases (No. JRC77655; JRC technical reports institute for prospective technological studies). European Commission.
Bogler, R., & Nir, A.E. (2012). The im-portance of teachers perceived organizational support to job satisfaction: What’s empowerment got to do with it? Journal of Educational Administration, 50 (3), 287-306.
Bolin, F. S. (1989). Empowering leadership. Teachers College Record, 19 (1), 81-96.
Boonyarit, I., Chomphupart, S., & Arin, N. (2010). Leadership, empowerment, and attitude outcomes. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 5 (1), 1-14.
Carter, K., Cushing, K., Sabers, D., Stein, P., & Berliner, D. (1988). Expert-novice differences in perceiving and processing visual classroom information. Journal of Teacher Education, 39, 25-31.
Cattaneo, L. B., & Chapman, A. R. (2010). The process of empowerment: A model for use in research and practice. American Psychologist, 65 (7), 646–659.
Cleary, M. J. & Groer, S. (1994). Inflight decisions of expert and novice health teachers. Journal of School Health, 64, 110-114.
Davidson, B. M., & Dell, G. L. (2003). A school restructuring model: A tool kit for building teacher leadership. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Epps, R., Foor, R., & Cano, J. (2010). Keepers, stayers, leavers, and lovers: Are there teacher self-efficacy differences between novice and experienced teachers? Manuscript submitted for publication.
Harris, D., & Sass, T. (2009). What makes for a good teacher and who can tell?
Harris, D. N. & Sass, T. R. (2011). Teacher training, teacher quality, and student achievement. Journal of Public Eco-nomics, 95, 798-812.
Harwell, S.H. (2003). Teacher professional development: It’s not an event, it’s a process. Waco, TX: CORD.
Heck, R. H. & Brandon, P. R. (1995). Teacher empowerment and the implementation of school-based reform. Empowerment in Organizations, 3(4), 10-19.
Hirsch, E., Emerick, S., Church, K. & Fuller, E., (2006). Teaching and learning conditions are critical to the success of students and the retention of teachers: Final report on the 2006 teaching and learning conditions survey to the Clark County school District and Clark County Education Association. Retrieved from Center for Teaching Quality website: http://www.teachingquality.org.
Houser, M. L., & Frymier, A. B. (2009). The role of student characteristics and teacher behaviors in students’ learner empowerment. Communication Education, 58 (1), 35-53.
Huang, R. & Li, Y. (2012). What matters most: A comparison of expert and novice teachers’ noticing of mathematics classroom events? School Science and Mathematics, 112 (7), 420- 432.
Kimwarey, M. C., Chirure, H. N., & Omondi, M. (2014). Teacher empowerment in education practice: Strategies, constraints and suggestions. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education (IOSR-JRME, 4 (2), 51-56.
Knobloch, N. (2006). Exploring relationships of teachers’ sense of efficacy in two students teaching programs. Journal of Agricultural Education, 47 (2), 36-47.
Kunter, M., Baumert, J., Voss, T., Klusmann, U., Richter, D., & Hachfeld, A. (2013). Professional competence of teachers: Effects on instructional quality and student development. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105 (3), 805-820.
Krull, E., Oras, K., & Sisask, S. (2007). Dif-ferences in teachers’ comments on classroom events as indicators of their professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23, 1038-1050.
Ladd, H. F. (2008). Value-added modeling of teacher credentials: Policy implications. Paper presented at the second annual CALDER research conference. Washington D. C.: The Urban Institute.
Lee, A. N., & Nie, Y. (2014). Teachers’ perceptions of school leaders’ empowering behaviors and psychological empowerment: Evidence from a Singapore sample, Educational Management Admin-istration & Leadership, 1–24.
Levin, H. M. (1991). Building school capacity for effective teacher empowerment: Applications to elementary schools with at-risk students (ED 337856). ERIC Clear-inghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education Washington DC, 1-35.
Melek Koç, E. (2012). Affective characteristics and teaching skills of English language teachers: Comparing perceptions of elementary, secondary and high school students. Creative Education, 4 (2) 117-123.
Morris-Rotschild, B. K., & Brassard, M. R. (2006). Teachers’ conflict management styles: The role of attachment styles and classroom management efficacy. Journal of School Psychology, 44, 105-121.
Maynard, M. T., Gilson, Lucy L., & Mathieu, John E. (2012). Empowerment—fad or fab? A multilevel review of the past two decades of research. Journal of Man-agement, 38, 1231-1281.
Murray, H.G. (1991). “Effective teaching behaviors in the college classroom”, in J.C. Smart (ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 6). New York: Agathon, 135-172.
Murray, H.G. (1997). “Effective teaching behaviors in the college classroom”, in R. P. Perry and J.C. Smart (eds.), Effective Teaching in Higher Education: Research and Practice. New York: Agathon, 171-203.
Nunan, D., Black, H., & Choi, J. (2019). Teacher empowerment through action research. Fine Print, 42 (2), 8–13.
Pearson, L.C., & Moomaw, W, (2005). Continuing Validation of the Teaching Autonomy Scale. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Rinehart, J. S. & Short, P. M. (1994). Job satisfaction and empowerment among teacher leaders, reading recovery teachers and regular classroom teachers. Education, 114 (4), 570-580.
Ritchie, J. & Lewis, J. (2003). Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social Science Students and Researchers. SAGE.
Sabers, D. S., Cushing, K. S., & Berliner, D. C. (1991). Differences among teachers in a task characterized by simultaneity, multidimensionality, and immediacy. American Educational Research Journal, 28, 63-88.
Short, P. M., (1994). Defining teacher empowerment. Education, 114, (4), 488-492.
Short, P. M. & Johnson, P.E. (1994). Exploring the links among teacher empowerment, leader power, and conflict. Education, 114 (4), 581-534.
Short, P. M., & Rinehart, J. S. (1992). School participant empowerment scale: Assessment of level of empowerment within the school environment. Educational & Psychological Measurement, 52 (4), 951.
Snodgrass Rangel, V., Suskavcevic, M., Kapral, A., &Dominey, W. (2020). A revalidation of the school participant empowerment scale amongst science and mathematics teachers. Educational Studies, 46 (1), 117–134.
Spreitzer, G. M. (2007). Psychological em-powerment in the workplace: Dimen-sions, measurement, and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 1442-1465.
Sweetland, S. R., & Hoy W. K. (2000). School characteristics and educational outcomes: Toward an organizational model of student achievement in middle school. Educational Administration Quarterly, 36 (5), 703-729.
Thomas K. W., & Velthouse, B. A. (1990). Cognitive elements of empowerment: An “interpretive” model of intrinsic task motivation. Academy of Management Review, 15 (4), 666-681.
Tschannen-Moran, M. & Woolfolk-Hoy, A., (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teacher and Teacher Education, 17, 783– 805.
Tschannen-Moran, M., & Hoy, A. W. (2007). The differential antecedents of self-efficacy beliefs of novice and experienced teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23, 944-956.
Tsui, A. (2009). Distinctive qualities of expert teachers. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 15 (4), 421-439.
Veisia, Sh., Azizifara, A., Gowharya, H., & Jamalinesaria, A. (2015). The relationship between Iranian EFL teachers’ empowerment and teachers’ self-efficacy. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 185, 437–445.
Wan, E., (2005). Teacher empowerment: Concepts, strategies, and implications of
schools in Hong Kong. Teachers College Record, 107 (4), 842-861.
Whitaker, D. S., & Moses, M. C. (1990). Teacher empowerment: A key to re-structuring. Clearing House, 64 (2), 127-134
Whittington, M., McConnell, E., & Knobloch, N. (2006). Teacher efficacy of novice teachers in agricultural education in Ohio at the end of the school year. Journal of Agricultural Education, 47 (4), 26-38.
Wolff, C. E., van den Bogert, N., Jarodzka, H., & Boshuizen, H. P. A. (2014). Keeping an eye on learning: Differences between expert and novice teachers’ representations of classroom management events. Journal of Teacher Education, 66, 68-85.
Wolters, C. A., & Daugherty, S. G. (2007). Goals structures and teachers’ sense of efficacy: their relation and association to teaching experience and academic level. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99 (1), 181-193.
Woolfolk Hoy, A., & Burke-Spero, R. (2005). Changes in teacher efficacy during the early years of teaching: A Comparison of four measures. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21, 343-356.
Wynne, J., (2001). Teachers as leaders in education reform. Eric Digest. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges of Teacher.
Zembylas, M. & Papanastasiou, E. C. (2005). Modeling teacher empowerment: The role of job satisfaction. Educational Research and Evaluation, 11 (5), 433-459.
Zimmerman, M. A., & Peterson, N. A. (2004). Beyond the individual: Toward a nomological network of organizational empowerment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 34 (1/2), 129-145.