Learning to teach: The influence of a university-school partnership project on pre-service elementary teachers’ efficacy for literacy instruction

Abstract

Bandura's (1986) theory of self-efficacy suggests that efficacy may be most malleable early in learning; therefore, some of the most powerful influences on the development of teachers' sense of effi- cacy may be the experience of teaching during field placements and student teaching. Unfortunately, pre-service teachers may not be exposed to good role models for teaching during field placements. This article describes a qualitative study of the influence of vicari- ous experiences modeled by a teacher educator and master teachers on the development of pre-service teachers' sense of efficacy for literacy instruction. Results indicate that the vicarious experiences positively influenced pre-service teachers' efficacy for effective lit- eracy instruction that was maintained through student teaching.

Reference

Johnson, D. (2010). “Learning to teach: The influence of a university-school partnership project on pre-service elementary teachers’ efficacy for literacy instruction.” Reading Horizons 50 (1), 23–48.

Journal

Reading Horizons

Analysis

Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?

Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?

Research Approach

Qualitiative

Geographic Setting

Southeastern United States

Institutional Context

University based

Certification Level

Pre-K - 6 (ages ~4-~12)

Programatic Focus

not stated

Research Location Context

field-based methods course

Preservice Participants

Graduate and undergraduate

Preservice Sample Size

Duration of Data Collection

Academic Semester

Data Sources

class assignment reflections
Interviews
written reflections/class papers

Data Analysis Tools

coding (open to axial to selective

Researcher Positionality

inside (staying their own students)
Inside (studying their own programs)

Research Questions

How pre-service teachers process and internalize vicarious experiences and what characteristics of models best facilitate the development of self-efficacy beliefs are important issues that this study begins to address.
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes