Autoeficacia para la expresión oral y disposición para comunicarse en la formación docente de inglés como lengua extranjera: una perspectiva desde la psicología positiva

Introduction: Over the past decade, we have seen a significant rise in the number of studies investigating psychological mechanisms, especially self-efficacy, that affect EFL learners’ desire to communicate in L2. However, fewer studies focus on teacher training, and the Latin American region, especially learners in Ecuador, have been excluded from these studies. To bridge this gap, this study examined the levels of Speaking Self-Efficacy (SSE) and Willingness to Communicate (WTC) among Ecuadorian pre-service English teachers based on their underlying construct dimensions. Methodology: A quantitative survey design was utilized to collect data from 278 pre-service English teachers enrolled at a public teacher education university in Ecuador using adapted and validated SSE and WTC scales. Results and Discussion: The findings revealed moderate levels of both speaking self-efficacy and willingness to communicate among the sample under study. Among the dimensions of speaking self-efficacy, linguistic self-efficacy was the weakest. Regarding WTC, participants reported the highest willingness to communicate during pair and group work and the lowest willingness when speaking individually or interacting directly with the teacher. Conclusions: Drawing on positive psychology and social cognitive theory, practical implications for improving SSE and WTC in teacher education are provided within the paper.