Shedding light on preservice teachers’ domain specific self-efficacy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice teachers’ efficacy beliefs across domains in a reading-specific methods course. Participants were preservice teachers in a state required reading methods course. During this course, preservice teachers were required to work with an elementary student in reading and write a case study linking theory to practice. At the beginning and end of the course, participants completed a battery of adapted, domain-specific versions of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale. Results showed that preservice teachers reported a significant increase in their sense of efficacy within each domain. However, efficacy beliefs differed with regard to domain.

Reference

Haverback, H. R., & McNary, S. (2015). Shedding light on preservice teachers' domain specific self-efficacy. Teacher Educator, 50(4), 272-282.

Journal

The Teacher Educator

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

longitudinal
Pre-test, Intervention, Post-test
Quantitative

Geographic Setting

United States

Institutional Context

University based

Certification Level

early childhood
Elementary

Programatic Focus

early childhood education
Elementary

Research Location Context

Language arts methods
Reading and language arts methods course
Reading methods

Preservice Participants

undergraduate preservice teachers
undergraduates in a Reading Methods course

Preservice Sample Size

Duration of Data Collection

1 semester

Data Sources

Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) known as the Reading Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (RTSES)
Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES; Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001), adapted for current study

Data Analysis Tools

Correlation
Paired T-test

Researcher Positionality

Research Questions

Were there changes in preservice teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs within different domains over the period of a semester?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes

Were there relations between the preservice teachers’ reading self-efficacy beliefs and self-efficacy beliefs in other domains?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes

Did preservice teachers report more change in reading self-efficacy beliefs than in the other domains?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes

Did preservice teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs differ by domain?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Unknown