A Study on PGDE Student-Teacher Efficacy Beliefs in the Sri Lankan Context

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to determine the self-efficacy beliefs of the student-teachers in the context of Sri Lanka. The respondents consisted of 471 student-teachers from seven study centres of Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) Programme of the Open University of Sri Lanka. The study employed an adapted questionnaire based on the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale. Findings from the analysis showed that the self-efficacy of studentteachers in student engagement (M=7.07, SD=.94), instructional strategies (M=7.4, SD=.91) and classroom management (M=7.2, SD=1.0) remained high. Outcomes from the t-test did not indicate significant differences between the male (M=7.03, SD=.930; M=7.3, SD=.836; M=7.17, SD=1.03) and female (M=7.09, SD=.953; M=7.46, SD=.945; M=7.2, SD=.996) PGDE student teachers in terms of student engagement, instructional strategies and classroom management. Findings from the one-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in student engagement based on the experience of teachers (F=3.4; df=3.471; p=.018). No significant differences among other groups based on the medium of instruction and qualifications of the studentteachers were found. Approximately 78% of the student-teachers stated that they developed the knowledge and skills related to self-efficacy from the various subjects of the PGDE programme. The study suggests several strategies which need to be incorporated in the PGDE programme to enhance the self-efficacy of student-teachers in their teaching-learning process. * Corresponding Author: F. M. Nawastheen; email:ORCiD: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9538-7372

Teacher self-efficacy and student misbehaviour: the moderating role of gender–classroom management

“…Despite the fact that there has been a large amount of study on teacher efficacy in other countries, there has been a scarcity of studies in Sri Lanka (e.g. Gorrell and Dharmadasa, 1994; Nawastheen et al. , 2017).…”

“…Despite the fact that there has been a large amount of study on teacher efficacy in other countries, there has been a scarcity of studies in Sri Lanka (e.g. Gorrell and Dharmadasa, 1994;Nawastheen et al, 2017). Studies on how gender affects teacher efficacy beliefs vary, with some suggesting that female teachers feel more efficacious than male teachers (Cheung, 2006;Evans and Tribble, 1986), while others reveal the opposite (Gkolia et al, 2016;Sak, 2015) and yet others finding no difference (Mulholland et al, 2004;Savolainen et al, 2022).…”

Teachers’ Awareness and Participation in the School-Based Teacher Development Programme in Mathugama Education Zone

“…Even if an educational system has good policies, educational goals, administrative practices, and schools, including all necessary resources and facilities, the system's success is still dependent on teachers (Nawastheen et al, 2017). SBTD was one of the innovative programmes that the MOE implemented until 2015.…”

“…Therefore, teachers have to update and intensify their knowledge, skills, attitudes and practices according to students' current expansive demand. In Sri Lanka, various efforts have been made to enhance teachers' careers (Nawastheen et al, 2017). In Sri Lanka, graduates from various disciplines are recruited directly into the teaching service without having pre-teacher training.…”