ABSTRACT
Although investigations have focused on self-efficacy, teachers’ self-efficacy, and language teachers’ self-efficacy (LTSE) beliefs for several decades, further research is needed into how LTSE beliefs change over the course of a career in different contexts. Through such investigations, researchers can identify how teachers can be better supported and develop stronger self-efficacy beliefs in the process. This chapter examines the lived experiences of two Chinese school teachers of English. Informed by a person-oriented ecological sustainable perspective and the Exploratory Practice (EP) framework, the two case studies illustrate that support for professional development can contribute to the development of LTSE beliefs. While the development of LTSE beliefs is mediated by both self-perceptions of language proficiency and professional potential, mere support for language improvement might seem insufficient. Inquiring deeply into their own puzzles about work–life issues, the teachers recounted how both family and school support were valuable in enhancing their professional development as socially developing persons in the teaching profession. Working with others enhanced their sense of (mutual) development and quality of life. EP can be a way of supporting the career-long development of LTSE beliefs, as our pedagogical implications highlight.
