An Iranian Case Study on the Relationship between EFL Teachers' Self-confidence Level and Learners' Speaking Development

Abstract Self-confidence of English language teachers has been discovered to be a significant factor in learners' achievement. This study aimed to find the relationship between English teachers' self-confidence level and second language (L2) learners' development of conversational skills. The participants of this study were 60 Higher Intermediate L2 learners at Shayan Language Institute in Torbat Heydarie, Iran. A self-confidence questionnaire was used for the present article. The teachers of Shayan institute were asked to answer this questionnaire. Then, two male teachers, one with high self-confidence and one with normal level of self-confidence were selected as the teachers of experimental and control groups, respectively. The course lasted for 12 sessions (6 weeks with two weekly sessions); in each session both teachers provided their students with the same techniques, including conversations, role plays, speaking about pictures, etc. To homogenize the students a conversation-based proficiency test (CPE speaking test) was administered. Afterwards, 30 second language learners were selected and divided into the experimental and control groups. At the end of the course a posttest was administered. The results of t test analysis indicated that participants in the self-confident group could significantly outperform those in the control group. The results of this study can provide pedagogical implications for English teachers to be self-confident and can convey this quality of L2 learners in the class