COVID-19 Pandemic in Schools: An Exploration of the Self-Efficacy of Beginner Teachers in Qwaqwa
Amanda Ndabankulu 
, Marguerite Muller & Cias T. Tsotetsi
Issue: Vol.3 No.11 October 2022 Post COVID-19 Special Issue Article 19 pp.238-251
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2022sp31119 | Published online 3rd November 2022.
© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, schools in South Africa would have lost a considerable percentage of the annual school curriculum by the end of the lockdown. The Department of Basic Education had to work out plans for curriculum recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed plan was to gradual reopening schools using the “Phasing in Approach”. This study explored the Self-Efficacy of beginner teachers in Qwaqwa schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Informed by Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, we used the qualitative research approach and generated data through semi-structured interviews. The telephonic interviews were conducted in two different phases; the first (T1) was in January 2021, and the second (T2) was in August 2021. We interviewed 5 participants of beginner teachers in the Qwaqwa town of the Thabo-Mofutsanyane district. The finding showed that beginner teachers had very high levels of self-efficacy, as they were able to face the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some identified challenges had many classes to teach, and the curriculum coverage was disturbed. On a positive note, the class size was reduced. This study recommended that the Department of Basic Education attend to the issues of overcrowding in schools and the lack of sources, especially in rural schools, as these were the main challenges of beginner teachers. This paper contributes to the existing literature on how beginner teachers’ self-efficacy helped them overcome challenges during the pandemic.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, Beginner teachers, Self-efficacy, Social cognitive theory
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Amanda Ndabankulu is an Educator at the Thalabodiba Secondary School, South Africa. She is pursuing a Master of Education. She has research interest in Professional development.
Dr. Marguerite Muller is a Research Fellow, Faculty of Education, University of Free State, South Africa. She has research interests in Social Justice Education, Creative Arts and Arts Education, as well as Teacher Developmental Studies.
Dr. Cias Tsotetsi is a Senior Lecturer and Assistant Dean at the University of Free State, South Africa. His research focuses on Teacher development, Initial Teachers Education, and Participatory Action Research.
Ndabankulu, A., Muller, M. & Tsotetsi, C. “COVID-19 Pandemic in Schools: An Exploration of the Self-Efficacy of Beginner Teachers in Qwaqwa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 3, no.11 (2022):238-251. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2022sp31119
© 2022 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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