Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Performance of Pre-Service Economics Teachers: Implications for Teacher Training

Abstract

Good teaching is crucial for implementing the school curriculum and is taken seriously by teacher training institutions. Pre-service teachers of various colleges of education are taken through multiple assessment strategies to obtain information for improving teacher training curricula to achieve the aim of training quality teachers for effective curriculum implementation. One of the ways of sourcing information for fine-tuning teacher training is the assessment of pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs. Sourcing information on pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs helps to determine their readiness to implement the school curriculum after their training. This study aimed to assess the self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service economics teachers at the University of Cape Coast using a quality teaching model as a framework. All 77 final-year pre-service economics teachers at the University of Cape Coast were included in the study. A questionnaire aimed at measuring the self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service economics teachers were used to collect data. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics. The study’s key findings were that pre-service economics teachers were highly self-efficacious in teaching economics; male pre-service economics teachers had a higher self-efficacy belief than their female counterparts; and there was a weak, insignificant positive relationship between self-efficacy belief and pre-service economics teachers’ performance in off-campus teaching practice. It was recommended that female pre-service economics teachers should be encouraged more by their lecturers to help them improve their self-efficacy beliefs in teaching senior high school economics.

Effect of Emotional Intelligence on Economic Teachers’ Self-Efficacy: The Moderating Role of Background Characteristics

“…The efficient allocation of resources in a country positions individuals and households to build wealth and reduce the negative impact of poverty. According to Acquah and Partey (2023), households that can accumulate wealth are also better equipped to create neighborhoods and communities that are more stable economically. Therefore, the teaching and learning economics is critical to achieving the SDGs.…”

“…However, there was no significant differences between the self-efficacy beliefs of teachers based on gender. Acquah and Partey (2023) studied self-efficacy beliefs and performance of pre-service economics teachers and came out with the findings that pre-service economics teachers were highly self-efficacious in teaching economics; male pre-service economics teachers had a higher self-efficacy belief than their female counterparts; and there was a weak, insignificant positive relationship between selfefficacy belief and pre-service economics teachers' performance in off-campus teaching practice.…”

Applying Bandura's Theory of Self-Efficacy to assess the perceptions of Pre-service Economics teachers concerning teaching using graphs

“…Self-efficacy is an evaluation of one's ability in executing a desired level of performance to achieve an ideal outcome (Bandura, 1997). Although limited studies (Acquah & Partey, 2023;Suriamurthee & Kudayja, 2010;Winston & Francis, 2021) have investigated the self-efficacy of pre-service economics teachers, most of them have concentrated on teachers' self-efficacy belief in classroom management. What is lacking in current literature are studies on pre-service teachers' self-efficacy in the teaching of specific economics concepts such as graphs.…”