Moments of clarity : a study of higher education teachers' professional learning experiences and the transformational process of change in self-efficacy development : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

This qualitative longitudinal study sought to understand ‘aha’ moments experienced by a group of early career higher education teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand and the role those moments played in the transformational process of change in teacher self-efficacy development. Self-efficacy theory was foregrounded throughout the study, transformation theory provided an established framework to understand the process of transformation, and the notion of threshold concepts was used to conceptualise the ‘aha’ moment and name potential teaching threshold concepts. Aotearoa New Zealand specific teacher self-efficacy studies are important because studies in other contexts have shown self-efficacy is a predictor of teacher motivation, resilience and persistence in the face of difficulties and self-efficacy is linked to successful student achievement. In understanding the relationship between ‘aha’ moments and how these contribute to teacher self-efficacy development, there is the potential for professional learning opportunities that support self-efficacy promotion. Eleven early career teachers shared their experiences of ‘aha’ moments and their interpretation of the role these played in their teacher self-efficacy development. This research found that ‘aha’ moments were personal learning realisations that contributed to change in teacher self-efficacy and that the transformational development of teacher self-efficacy can be understood as a process containing four distinct phases. Furthermore, the transformative ‘aha’ moments, and in particular those that constituted a teaching specific potential threshold concept, provided teachers with an enhanced awareness of teaching capability. Finally, mastery experiences (successful and unsuccessful) were the most commonly described source of efficacy information related to the teachers’ ‘aha’ moments

Emotional Intelligence, Environment, and Teacher Self-Efficacy: A Look into the Effects of Teacher Emotional Intelligence and Socioeconomic Status of School on Teacher Self-Efficacy in K-12 Public Schools

This study sought to uncover the relationship among emotional intelligence, teacher self-efficacy, and socioeconomic status of schools amongst K-12 public school teachers. Correlations were analyzed between overall emotional intelligence and overall teacher self-efficacy, as well as between the subscales of both constructs. Furthermore, regression analysis was used to determine the predictability of teacher self-efficacy based on emotional intelligence, school socioeconomic status, and the subscales of emotional intelligence. Weak correlations were found between emotional intelligence of teachers and teacher self-efficacy levels. Emotional intelligence and school socioeconomic status were not found to be strong predictors of teacher self-efficacy. Subscales of emotional intelligence did not predict levels of teacher self-efficacy well. The current study calls into question the validity of the Reactions to Teaching Situations measure of emotional intelligence and suggests further research be conducted to determine the reason for the inconsistent findings as compared to prior studies on the relationship between emotional intelligence and teacher self-efficacy in field of education

Teacher self-efficacy and mental health: their intricate relation to professional resources and attitudes in an established manual-based psychological group program

Introduction: Teaching is considered a mentally challenging occupation. Teacher self-efficacy is a personal resource which buffers the experience of stress and may be important in maintaining mental health. The preventive intervention “Manual-Based Psychological Group Program for Teachers” (MBPGPT) was applied and evaluated state-wide to improve the mental health of teachers. This study aims to investigate the intricate relation between teacher self-efficacy and mental health and their changes in the course of the intervention. Method: Using a single-group pre-/post-design, the relation between teacher self-efficacy and mental health was investigated in 742 teachers. Pre- and post-changes in teacher self-efficacy and their interaction with mental health were examined in a subsample of 171 teachers, who met the conservative inclusion criteria. In ancillary analyses, correlations with underlying changes in work-related behavior and experience patterns were analyzed to better understand the intricate link between teacher self-efficacy and mental health. Results: Teacher self-efficacy showed a significant, moderate correlation with mental health. Self-efficacy was moderately higher after the intervention than before the intervention, but independent of changes in mental health. Teacher self-efficacy was related to work-related psychological resistance and positive emotions. An increase in teacher self-efficacy was accompanied by an improvement in life satisfaction and distancing ability. A decrease in teacher self-efficacy went hand in hand with reduced experience of social support. Discussion: This study confirmed teacher self-efficacy as an important, reliable resource and its correlation with psychological resistance. The absence of a control group limits what causal conclusions can be drawn from the study. Nevertheless, self-efficacy seems to be a worthwhile goal of preventive interventions for teachers and should be promoted due to its wide-ranging implications. Suggestions for further studies and interventions are made

The Impact of Research-Based Professional Development on Teacher Self-Efficacy and Collective Efficacy Beliefs with Respect to Applying Techniques from \u3cem\u3eTeach Like a Champion 2.0\u3c/em\u3e

This mixed methods research examined the impact of professional development on teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs with respect to applying techniques from Teach Like A Champion 2.0. Increasing research shows there is a positive correlation between student achievement and high levels of teacher self-efficacy. Studies on teacher preparation acknowledge the role professional development plays on both teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs. Additionally, research-based best practices like the techniques found in Teach Like A Champion 2.0 have been established as behaviors of highly efficacious teachers. The study assessed teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs, provided research-based professional development, reassessed self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs, and measured the impact. It was hypothesized that by providing research-based professional development exposing teachers to research-based best practices, teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy would be positively impacted. Although small in scope, this study provided insight into the role research-based professional development has on teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs. Overall, teacher self-efficacy beliefs showed a significant increase, while collective efficacy beliefs showed a marginal difference

The Relationship Between Teacher Accountability Measures and Self-Efficacy

This study was designed to critically analyze teacher accountability and evaluation systems that are being utilized nation-wide, to discover how the systems impact teacher self-efficacy. One hundred thirty-two teachers from a large, diverse Wisconsin school district participated in a longitudinal study. The participants completed surveys at two time points (fall and spring) including collective efficacy, teacher self-efficacy, and sources of efficacy measures. A 2 x 2 mixed ANOVA showed no significant interaction between summary year status and changes in teacher self-efficacy. A multiple regression analysis revealed that sources of teacher self-efficacy included in the evaluation system positively predicted teacher self-efficacy when all of the sources were working together, and when student demographic factors were held constant. An independent samples t-test compared experiences of the sources of self-efficacy of teachers who were on-summary year to teachers who were off-summary year according to the evaluation system. Contrary to predications, the results indicated that teachers who were off-summary year reported more frequent and valuable experiences of the sources of self-efficacy, particularly in social persuasion, than teachers who were on-summary year. Also, this study analyzed the relationship between school context (collective efficacy and student demographics) and the relationship to teacher self-efficacy. The results from this study support the need for meaningful evaluation and accountability systems that provide opportunities for experiences and reflection on the four sources of self-efficacy. The results also indicate that there is a need to ensure proper implementation of such systems, as teachers on-summary year should have frequent experiences of social persuasion that they find value in. Themes in participant responses are used to provide recommendations for administrative implementation of the evaluation systems. The results additionally confirm a possible reciprocal relationship between collective efficacy and teacher self-efficacy. This suggests that providing a focus on supporting teacher self-efficacy can positively impact the school culture, which can also lead to more positive implementation of evaluation systems. Finally, the results suggest that student ethnic diversity and economic disadvantage positively impacts teacher self-efficacy, whereas teachers exposed to a more diverse student populations and more students with economic disadvantage reported higher teacher self-efficacy. English language learners and students with disabilities populations negatively predicted teacher self-efficacy. Future research is needed to investigate reasons for differences in reports of social persuasion between on-summary year and off-summary year teachers

Teacher self-efficacy moderates the relations between imposed pressure from imposed curriculum changes and teacher stress

Based on the Job Demands-resources (RD-R) model, the aim of the current study was to examine how pressure arising from imposed curriculum changes and teacher self-efficacy relate to perceived stress in teachers. Participants (839 teachers working in English schools) completed an online survey that contained questions about demographics, self-reported pressure from imposed curriculum changes, teacher self-efficacy, and perceived stress. Pressure from imposed curriculum changes was positively, and teacher self-efficacy negatively, related to perceived stress. Teacher-self efficacy moderated relations between pressure from imposed curriculum changes and perceived stress. High teacher self-efficacy was associated with lower perceived stress, relative to low teacher self-efficacy, when pressure from imposed curriculum changes was low. The differential advantage offered by high self-efficacy declined as pressure from imposed curriculum changes increased. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

A Correlational Study on the Influence of Teacher-Student Relationships on Teachers’ Math Self-Efficacy and Mathematical Anxiety in Students in Lower Elementary Grades

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to discover the influence of teacher-student relationships on teachers’ math self-efficacy and math anxiety in first through third-grade students. This research was significant since the results inform and guide educational training, evaluations, and classroom management. This study was composed of 13 teachers and 84 students in the first through third grade classrooms in a Mid-Atlantic State. Teachers completed two surveys: Teacher-Student Relationship Scale and the Self-Efficacy for Teacher Mathematics Instrument. Students were surveyed concerning their math anxiety using the Math Anxiety Questionnaire for Children. Data analysis was conducted by using Pearson correlation coefficient to examine the relationship between teacher self-efficacy in math and math anxiety in students, by using a Spearman’s rho correlation to examine the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and teacher-student relationship. Multiple regression analysis tested if teacher self-efficacy and teacher-student relationship influence math anxiety in students. The results revealed that there was not a significant difference between teacher self-efficacy and math anxiety in students, between teacher self-efficacy and teacher-student relationship. In addition, teacher self-efficacy and teacher-student relationship did not show a significant association with math anxiety in students. This suggests other contextual factors influence math anxiety in students besides teacher self-efficacy in math and teacher-student relationship. Limitations of the study are discussed. Lastly, recommendations for future research are provided including different research settings, qualitative research, and research that examines social and contextual influences that impact math anxiety in students

Preschool Teacher Self-Efficacy in an Urban School District

The purpose of this research was to assess the relationships between preschool teacher self-efficacy, as measured by the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) of years of early childhood teaching experience, and teacher outcomes as measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). Also considered was whether or not self-efficacy differed as a function of program setting. Early prekindergarten program (EPK) and universal prekindergarten program (UPK) (n = 89) lead teachers completed the TSES, representing a cross-section of all 3 and 4-year-old preschool lead teachers in a mid-sized urban district. Teachers completed the TSES via SurveyMonkey. CLASS observations were conducted as part of a larger ongoing evaluation. Teacher self-efficacy was not significantly correlated with years of early childhood teaching experience. However, overall, teacher self-efficacy was negatively correlated with years of teaching experience outside of the birth to second grade setting (r = –23, p \u3c .05) and positively correlated with the classroom organization domain (r = .21, p \u3c.05) and overall CLASS scores (r = .22, p \u3c .05). School district preschool teachers reported a significantly higher overall teacher self-efficacy compared to community-based organization (CBO) preschool teachers. This study adds to the current body of empirical literature focused on teacher self-efficacy and early childhood education by solely focusing on EPK/UPK teacher self-efficacy. Future studies should explore the potential relationship between job satisfaction and self-efficacy in both lead and assistant preschool teachers to inform interventions designed to increase job satisfaction and teacher self-efficacy

The Relationship between Mastery Experience and Teacher Self-Efficacy:A Meta-Analytic Review

Despite the potency of teacher self-efficacy, not much is known about what makes a teacher efficacious. Hence, this meta-analysis took to the task of examining the likelihood and magnitude of the relationship between mastery experience and teacher self-efficacy, and identify moderators of the association. A total of 39 original studies involving 9,560 teachers were examined. The respondents were teachers of various school levels, and 15 of the studies involved both primary and secondary school teachers. Almost two thirds of the primary studies were conducted in Western settings, while the rest were Asian studies. To identify the moderators, the study applied a meta-regression procedure. The results supported the expectation that mastery experience positively influences teacher self-efficacy. Additionally, it was discovered that differences in research design, school level, and culture impacted the variability of the relationship. Studies that employed experimental designs produced marked effects on the relationship. An interesting finding was that culture moderated the relationship between mastery experience and teacher self-efficacy where Western teachers were found to exhibited superior teacher self-efficacy than their Asian counterparts

Self-Efficacy and Professional Pleasure of Social Welfare and Tribal Welfare Residential Secondary School Teachers: An Investigation

The present investigation is to make a probe into the relationship between Teacher Self-Efficacy and Professional Pleasure among Social Welfare and Tribal Welfare Residential Secondary School Teachers (N = 143), besides testing whether the correlations obtained for the comparable sample differ significantly and concludes that both the aspects are significant statistically. In respect of Teacher Self-efficacy, the variables like Sex, Age, Qualification and Experience are found statistically corroborated. In respect of Professional Pleasure all the variables viz., Sex, Locality, Age, Marital Status, Qualification, Experience and Type of Institution are statistically significant. Further, Teacher Self-efficacy and Professional Pleasure are independent but they are inter-dependent. The investigation shows that there is significance of relationship between the Dimensions of Teacher Self-efficacy and Professional Pleasure of the Teachers. The area wise means in merit order of Teacher Self-efficacy is – Vicarious experience, Mastery experience, Physiological and Psychological experience and social experience, while the mean value of dimension wise of Teachers Professional Pleasure in merit order is – Personal, Professional, Social and Intellectual aspects