efl-literacy
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- PaperDOAJ — ELT & TESOL1 Jul 2026
The impact of professional development on EFL teachers' literacy practices and self-efficacy
Janina Kahn-Horwitz, Tziona Levi, Arona Korman Gvaryahu, Susie Russak
A 60-hour national in-service program (Building Blocks) improved EFL teachers' confidence in differentiated instruction and self-efficacy for teaching reading to diverse learners, compared to non-participants. Findings highlight the potential of such professional development for literacy instruction.
Original abstract
Abstract The present study examined the impact of participation in an annual 60-h national in-service program called Building Blocks (BB), focusing on strengthening teacher knowledge of basic language constructs for teaching literacy in English as a foreign language (EFL). We employed an online questionnaire developed to evaluate teachers’ beliefs and self-reported practices regarding the teaching of reading and writing amongst 50 teachers who had participated in the BB program and 150 teachers who had not. Results using Mann–Whitney nonparametric tests and ordinal regressions indicated that BB participants reported greater confidence in using differentiated instruction methods for teaching literacy to children from diverse backgrounds than non-BB teachers (z = -2.83, p = 0.005). The BB participants also reported greater self-efficacy for teaching reading to students with diverse needs with higher frequency levels than non-BB teachers (z = -3.10, p = 0.002). These findings are significant because in order to differentiate instruction and teach students with diverse needs, a teacher must possess a particular skill set that includes awareness of different English ability levels and knowledge about how to match instructional methods to individual student literacy needs. The current results highlight the potential of participation in a professional development program focusing on literacy acquisition for EFL teachers.