Blended Learning as a Tool for Enhancing the Self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service Teachers in a Teacher Education Program: A Systematic Review

Teacher education programs in HEIs have drawn much attention to online and blended learning models, as educators worldwide are now forced to rethink how to implement their curriculum, instructions, and assessments in an online, blended, and hybrid environment. This is because BL can be used to improve theoretical knowledge comprehension and guarantees that pre-service teachers have enough teaching practice and observation experience while minimizing the pressure on teacher education institutions and mentoring teachers. It, therefore, becomes vital that teacher educators and pre-service teachers use BL, given the continually changing nature of education and increased demand for technology in teaching and the teaching profession. Thus, this paper examined how blended learning can be used to enhance the self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers in a rural teacher education program. As such, this study employed a systematic review in which a survey of literature from books, journals, and websites was undertaken to examine how blended learning can be used to enhance pre-service teacher self-efficacy in a teacher education program. The paper also examines the relationship between online technologies, self-efficacy, and pre-service teachers' satisfaction. The paper concludes that with the utilization of blended learning, pre-service teachers can cultivate a robust sense of self-efficacy, resulting in enhanced assurance and proficiency in their forthcoming pedagogical pursuits. This study recommends the need for additional research to investigate the practices and consequences of blended learning in relation to the increase of self-efficacy. This is necessary to expand the existing body of knowledge on this topic.