‘Through teaching I found myself again’: the role of self-efficacy in Rohingya refugee teachers’ motivation to teach in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Teacher shortages and working conditions are linked to a global ‘teacher motivation crisis’, while teachers’ pedagogical capacity often explains a ‘global learning crisis’. These tensions are acute in conflict-affected contexts, where teachers’ work conditions are associated with burnout and high attrition. Yet little evidence exists on refugee teachers who often teach without pre-service training, all the while navigating profound liminality in their lives. To examine how this reality shapes refugee teachers’ commitment to the teaching profession, this study of Rohingya refugee teachers (n = 301) in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, investigates the relationship between teachers’ experiences of self-efficacy and their motivation to teach. Findings show that self-efficacy (B = 0.51, p < 0.001) is positively and significantly associated with teacher motivation. However, Rohingya narratives reveal how a more complex repatriation agenda underpins their commitment. Moreover, gendered differences in how self-efficacy is experienced highlight the inherently political and humanistic foundations of teaching.