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THE EFFICACY OF EFFORT: DIFFERENCES IN TEACHERS' SENSE OF EFFICACY BASED ON TYPE OF TEACHER TRAINING AND NUMBER OF YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Title
THE EFFICACY OF EFFORT: DIFFERENCES IN TEACHERS' SENSE OF EFFICACY BASED ON TYPE OF TEACHER TRAINING AND NUMBER OF YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
Creator
Shane, Julie, Allen, Kay, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Current federal reforms require a highly-qualified teacher in every classroom to promote higher levels of student performance. In an attempt to provide a sufficient and sustainable number of highly qualified teachers in the workforce, alternative certification training programs have come alongside traditional college of education training programs. Proponents of alternative certification programs contend the process of on-the-job training will potentially address the problem of teacher...
Show moreCurrent federal reforms require a highly-qualified teacher in every classroom to promote higher levels of student performance. In an attempt to provide a sufficient and sustainable number of highly qualified teachers in the workforce, alternative certification training programs have come alongside traditional college of education training programs. Proponents of alternative certification programs contend the process of on-the-job training will potentially address the problem of teacher shortages. However, opponents see these programs as an inadequate training process with future ramification for both teachers and students. As more and more classroom teachers are choosing alternative certification routes, there is growing uncertainty as to whether or not this is an effective way to train teachers. There is a substantial body of research that indicates a teacherÂÂ's self efficacy beliefs can be an indicator of his or her performance in the classroom. Evidence demonstrates a relationship between teachersÂÂ' beliefs about their personal ability to affect studentsÂÂ' achievement and the outcomes of both the teachersÂÂ' and the studentsÂÂ' efforts (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2007). By identifying strengths and weaknesses in self-efficacy beliefs, it is possible to provide interventions such as professional development or peer mentoring to increase an individualÂÂ's sense of efficacy, which could then improve his or her teaching performance, and ultimately improve student achievement. The purpose of this research study was to identify and describe the differences between (1) the self-efficacy beliefs of teachers from traditional college of education programs and from alternative certification programs in order to identify patterns or correlations between type of training and teachersÂÂ' sense of efficacy, and (2) the self efficacy beliefs of novice, experienced, and expert teachers in order to determine patterns or correlations between years of experience and teachersÂÂ' sense of efficacy. This research study investigated the self-efficacy beliefs of 125 high school teachers in Brevard County, Florida, with either college of education training or alternative certification training and with either novice, experienced, or expert classroom teaching experience. The first part of the study analyzed teachersÂÂ' responses to the 24 items on Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk HoyÂÂ's TeachersÂÂ' Sense of Efficacy Scale; the second part analyzed 6 researcher-designed items referring to teacher training programs and personal classroom experience. The three subscales that directed the items on the questionnaire were Efficacy for Student Engagement, Efficacy for Instructional Strategies, and Efficacy for Classroom Management. Factor analyses indicated 21 of the 24 items from the current research study loaded on the same three factors identified on the TeachersÂÂ' Sense of Efficacy Scale. The 6 items created specifically for this study loaded into two factors identified appropriately as training program and classroom experience. A reliability analysis resulted in a total alpha coefficient of .9271 for the 24 items on the TeachersÂÂ' Sense of Efficacy Scale for the 125 participants in the current research study which is consistent with an alpha of .94 in previous studies using the same scale. A total alpha coefficient of .6973 was determined for the 6 researcher-designed items. Findings from the t-tests and ANOVAs indicated that there was no relationship between self-efficacy beliefs of college of education trained teachers and alternative certification trained teachers; few relationships between novice, experienced, and expert teachers; and few interaction effects between type of teacher training and number of years of classroom experience. While the results of the study did not reveal statistically significant differences in the teacher groups, the teachersÂÂ' responses and comments indicated personal classroom experiences created higher levels of self-efficacy than teacher training programs. Contrary to the researcherÂÂ's expectations and conventional wisdom, both alternative certification teachers and novice teachers perceived themselves to be efficacious in the classroom. One possible explanation for the failure to reach statistically significant differences in the type of training and years of experience variables is that there simply are not distinct differences. Generally teachers with alternative certification training are immersed in programs that provide on-the-job training and support from a mentor, and as experts in their field of study, they exhibit self-assurance in their classroom behaviors. Commonly novices enter teaching with high expectations and they bring innovative practices and a fresh outlook to the classroom. Another possible explanation for the failure to reach statistically significant differences is the over-representation of some groups which could possibly have skewed the results. From the group of 125 participants, 86 teachers had college of education training while only 39 had alternative certification training. There were 79 expert teachers with ten or more years of experience, 35 experienced teachers with four to nine years, and only 11 novice teachers with three or less years. While the results of the research study did not offer statistically significant differences in the groups of teachers, there is much practical significance to be gained for district and school-level personnel in planning professional development opportunities. By identifying the strengths and weaknesses in teachersÂÂ' self-efficacy beliefs, professional development and peer support can be provided to address the unique needs of each teacher group. Recommendations were made for a synthesis of current practices from both college of education programs and alternative certification programs: a series of half-day internship experiences with relevant content coursework could be combined with on-the-job experience and mentoring support based on current alternative certification programs. This research study lacks generalizability, so further research should include middle school and elementary teachers, and teachers from other counties and states. Because teachersÂÂ' self-efficacy beliefs are personal and not necessarily reflective of actual practice, an investigation of the relationship between perceived self-efficacy beliefs and observed classroom effectiveness should be investigated.
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Date Issued
2010
Identifier
CFE0003268, ucf:48558
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003268
Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs About Science Using Critical Incident Technique: A Case Study Approach.
Title
Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs About Science Using Critical Incident Technique: A Case Study Approach.
Creator
Ravikumar, Meera, Jeanpierre, Bobby, Everett, Robert, Hopp, Carolyn, Dieker, Lisa, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The primary goal of this case study using qualitative and quantitative methods was to investigate pre-service elementary teachers' initial self-efficacy beliefs about science and science teaching by exploring the K-12 science experiences of these prospective elementary teachers. Of the 108 participants who completed the science teaching efficacy belief survey (STEBI-B) (Enochs (&) Riggs, 1990), 12 participants were selected to be interviewed using Flanagan's (1954) critical incident technique...
Show moreThe primary goal of this case study using qualitative and quantitative methods was to investigate pre-service elementary teachers' initial self-efficacy beliefs about science and science teaching by exploring the K-12 science experiences of these prospective elementary teachers. Of the 108 participants who completed the science teaching efficacy belief survey (STEBI-B) (Enochs (&) Riggs, 1990), 12 participants were selected to be interviewed using Flanagan's (1954) critical incident technique. Participants were asked to share their past positive and negative incidents during their K-12 years with science and science teachers. They were also asked to report how past incidents affected them at present and how they believed they would impact them as future teachers of science in elementary schools.The past positive and negative incidents were analyzed using Bandura's (1977) four sources of self-efficacy (mastery, vicarious, social persuasion, and physiological/emotional) and by school level; and the impact of the past science incidents on the subjects' present and future beliefs as science teachers were categorized. The results of this study revealed that pre-service elementary teachers' self-efficacy and beliefs were largely influenced by their past experiences with science in the K-12 years, and mastery experiences dominated as a source of self-efficacy. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research were made based on the findings of the study.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004916, ucf:49632
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004916
SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS OF FLORIDA SCHOOL PRINCIPALS REGARDING FEDERAL AND STATE ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES
Title
SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS OF FLORIDA SCHOOL PRINCIPALS REGARDING FEDERAL AND STATE ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES.
Creator
McCullers, John, Bozeman, WIlliam, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study examined how self-efficacy beliefs, a central construct of social cognitive theory, might be used to inform educational leadership and policy decisions related to school accountability measures. A survey of 112 principals in Florida was used to investigate the degree to which principals believed the goals of federal and state school accountability measures (the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Florida School Grades Plan) were actually attainable, and to what degree they...
Show moreThis study examined how self-efficacy beliefs, a central construct of social cognitive theory, might be used to inform educational leadership and policy decisions related to school accountability measures. A survey of 112 principals in Florida was used to investigate the degree to which principals believed the goals of federal and state school accountability measures (the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Florida School Grades Plan) were actually attainable, and to what degree they believed their leadership actually helped achieve these goals. A large majority (83.8%) of respondents believed the state goals to be attainable, whereas only a minority (20.7%) believed the federal goals could be attained. This disparity was associated with a significant difference in self-efficacy beliefs related to the plans, and in the associated leadership behavior of principals. This significant difference in principal self-efficacy beliefs could predict a disparity in leadership effort toward goal attainment. The study suggested that policymakers should be cautious about revising the goals of the Florida School Grades Plan, since principals' self-efficacy beliefs related to the plan were already quite high. In contrast, the findings suggested that policymakers should look to revising the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to correct the dearth of principal belief in the actual attainability of its goals.
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Date Issued
2009
Identifier
CFE0002849, ucf:48047
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002849