Exploring Self-Efficacy in Teacher Education: A Systematic Review Focused on Developing Countries
Exploring Self-Efficacy in Teacher Education: A Systematic Review Focused on Developing Countries

Summary/Abstract: A substantial body of research has examined teachers’ self-efficacy; however, much of this literatureremains largely concentrated in developed-country contexts, leaving developing regionscomparatively underexplored. This systematic literature review addresses that gap by focusing onself-efficacy in teacher education across developing countries, where persistent challenges such aslimited resources, overcrowded classrooms, and inadequate training opportunities significantlyshape educational experiences. Drawing on Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, the study employs asystematic literature review to analyse 30 empirical studies of self-efficacy in teacher educationacross developing countries. Following PRISMA guidelines, relevant studies were systematically extracted from major academic databases such asthe Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, and ProQuest databases, with inclusion criteria that limited thesample to English-language, peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2016 and 2025. Thereview identified several major patterns in research themes, methodological approaches, and thegeographic distribution of the studies. Overall, the findings indicate that Turkey dominates self-efficacy research among the 13 developing countries, highlighting regional imbalances in scholarlyattention and research capacity. Across these studies, self-efficacy of pre-service teachers is shapedprimarily by experiential and environmental factors including the quality of practicum experiences,mentorship support, and institutional environments rather than demographic characteristics.However, the dominance of cross-sectional quantitative studies restricts understanding of how self-efficacy develops over time and how broader contextual factors influence its evolution. These resultsstrongly underscore the need for more diverse methodological approaches, particularlyexperimental, qualitative, and longitudinal designs, to provide deeper insights into how teacher self-efficacy develops and operates across varied educational systems and sociocultural settings.

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