Metacognition and self-efficacy among pre-service EFL teachers: The mediating role of self-regulation

Abstract

The growing emphasis on cognitive and motivational dimensions of teacher development highlights the importance of how metacognitive awareness, self-regulation, and self-efficacy interact during pre-service education. This study explores the structural relationships among these constructs and examines whether self-regulation mediates the link between metacognitive awareness and teacher self-efficacy in pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Türkiye. 266 participants completed validated instruments. Results showed high levels of confidence regarding their teaching ability, self-regulatory practices, and awareness of their own thinking processes. Moreover, it was revealed that metacognitive awareness was positively associated with both self-regulation and self-efficacy among pre-service EFL teachers. In particular, self-regulation played a mediating role in the relationship between metacognitive awareness and self-efficacy, suggesting that teachers who are more metacognitively aware tend to develop stronger efficacy beliefs through enhanced regulatory processes. Overall, the results highlight the conceptual importance of fostering metacognitive and self-regulatory capacities in teacher education programs to support the development of professional confidence.

Keywords

• Metacognitive awareness
• Pre-service EFL teachers
• Self-regulation
• Teacher education
• Teacher self-efficacy

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the institutional Ethics Committee prior to data collection (Yozgat Bozok University Ethics Committee for Social and Humanities Sciences, date: 17.09.2025, decision number: 28/60).

Hizmet öncesi İngilizce dil öğretmenleri arasında üstbiliş ve öz-yeterlik: Öz düzenlemenin aracı rolü

Abstract

Öğretmen gelişiminin bilişsel ve motivasyonel boyutlarına verilen önemin artması, üstbilişsel farkındalık, öz düzenleme ve öz yeterlik arasındaki etkileşimin öğretmen yetiştirme sürecindeki rolünü daha görünür hâle getirmiştir. Bu çalışma, söz konusu yapılar arasındaki yapısal ilişkileri incelemeyi ve öz düzenlemenin, üstbilişsel farkındalık ile öz yeterlik arasındaki ilişkide aracılık rolü oynayıp oynamadığını Türkiye’deki İngilizceyi Yabancı Dil (EFL) olarak öğreten öğretmen adayları bağlamında araştırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Araştırmaya 266 öğretmen adayı katılmış ve veri toplamak amacıyla geçerliği ve güvenirliği kanıtlanmış ölçme araçları kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, katılımcıların öğretmenlik becerilerine, öz düzenleme uygulamalarına ve kendi düşünme süreçlerine ilişkin farkındalıklarına yönelik yüksek düzeyde güvene sahip olduklarını göstermiştir. Ayrıca, üstbilişsel farkındalığın hem öz düzenleme hem de öz yeterlik ile pozitif yönde ilişkili olduğu belirlenmiştir. Özellikle, öz düzenlemenin üstbilişsel farkındalık ile öz yeterlik arasındaki ilişkide aracılık rolü üstlendiği ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu bulgu, üstbilişsel farkındalığı yüksek olan öğretmen adaylarının, gelişmiş öz düzenleme süreçleri aracılığıyla daha güçlü öz yeterlik inançları geliştirdiklerini göstermektedir. Genel olarak sonuçlar, öğretmen yetiştirme programlarında üstbilişsel farkındalık ve öz düzenleme becerilerinin desteklenmesinin, mesleki özgüvenin ve öz yeterlik algısının geliştirilmesi açısından önemli olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• Hizmet öncesi İngilizce öğretmeni eğitimi
• Öğretmen eğitimi
• Öğretmen öz-yeterliği
• Öz-düzenleme
• Üstbilişsel farkındalık

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the institutional Ethics Committee prior to data collection (Yozgat Bozok University Ethics Committee for Social and Humanities Sciences, date: 17.09.2025, decision number: 28/60).

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