A Mixed Methods Study of Self-Efficacy, the Sources of Self-Efficacy, and Teaching Experience

Abstract

Although teaching self-efficacy is associated with many benefits for teachers and students, little is known about how teachers develop a sense of efficacy in the early years of their careers. Drawing on survey (N = 179) and interview (N = 10) data, this study investigates the sources of self-efficacy in a national sample of teachers who participated in the Noyce program. All teachers completed an online survey that included both the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Instrument and open-ended items prompting them to reflect on the sources of their self-efficacy. Ten teachers participated in semi-structured follow-up interviews. Enactive mastery experiences were the most common source of self-efficacy identified by teachers, followed by social persuasions and vicarious experiences. Physiological and affective states were identified infrequently and more often related to negative experiences that lowered self-efficacy than to positive experiences. Beginning teachers identified more negative enactive experiences than either Novice (2–3 years experiences) or Career teachers. In interviews, teachers described how the sources combined or interacted to influence their self-efficacy. Findings contribute to better understandings of the sources of self-efficacy with implications for how best to support teachers at different stages of their careers.

An Exploratory Study: The Role of Social Networks and Self-Efficacy in the Retention of Noyce Teachers

“…previously (Gale et al, 2021), interview findings presented here focus on retention and teachers' Noyce program experiences.…”

“…Klassen and Chiu (2010) found a nonlinear relationship between years of experience and selfefficacy, with self-efficacy increasing from early to mid-career before declining later in teachers' careers. We share additional analyses of our self-efficacy data, including patterns in the sources of self-efficacy according to teachers' experience levels, in a recent publication (Gale et al, 2021). Future studies could advance our understanding of teaching self-efficacy among Noyce teachers by exploring the development and trajectory of teaching self-efficacy among Noyce teachers longitudinally, with particular attention to how teachers' Noyce program experiences may influence self-efficacy at different stages of teachers' careers.…”

“…These findings may be useful to those developing future Noyce projects or similar programs aimed at supporting early career teachers' self-efficacy. For additional results describing the sources of self-efficacy identified by Noyce teachers in our study, we refer readers to our recent publication of self-efficacy findings (Gale et al, 2021).…”

An exploratory study of STEM teachers’ mentorship networks

“…This study is situated within a larger exploratory study that examines the relationships that may exist between Noyce teachers' support networks, self-efficacy, and retention (for more information on this study see, Alemdar et al, 2022;Gale et al, 2021). While the larger study focused more broadly on these topics, this paper will focus specifically on teachers' mentorship support networks, guided by the following two research questions:…”

Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs of Palestinian Elementary Education Students

“…However, their sense of efficacy was positively correlated with the constructivist learning environment. In their research [12] on self-efficacy and support strategies for teachers, experienced teachers reported higher self-efficacy in the areas of instructional strategies and classroom management and lower for student engagement. In the same perspective, Yesilyurt, Deniz and Kaya [13] studied the instructional strategies and learning experiences that worked to improve pre-service elementary teachers' use of engineering education intervention.…”