The interactive effects of personal traits and guided practices on preservice teachers’ changes in personal teaching efficacy

Abstract

Personal teaching efficacy is associated with a teacher's effectiveness in the classroom. To enhance this efficacy in a computer-simulated training program, both personal traits and guided practices need to be considered concurrently. In this study, it was hypothesised that the interactive effects from the coupling of personal traits with guided practices would be a reliable predictor of the degree of improvement in personal teaching efficacy during computersimulated training. One hundred and seventy-eight preservice teachers completed an interactive teaching experience via the Computer Simulation for Teaching General Critical-thinking Skills in which guided practices were integrated via specially designed teaching sequences and loops. The findings suggest that intrapersonal intelligence, critical-thinking dispositions and a judicial thinking style are related to self-awareness, analytical learning and reflective thinking and that in this study, these personal qualities seemingly interacted with guided practices, which resulted in reflective teaching and mastery experience. This, in turn, may very well have brought about improvement in the preservice teachers' personal teaching efficacy during the computer-simulated teaching.

The Role of Teacher Efficacy and Characteristics on Teaching Effectiveness, Performance, and Use of Learner-Centered Practices

“…In a recent study by Yeh (2006), it was found that teaching efficacy is a reliable predictor in the improvement of the personality characteristics of teachers. The findings suggest that personality types such as intrapersonal intelligence, criticalthinking dispositions, and a judicial thinking style results in a more reliable outcome in reflective teaching and mastery performance (which is selfefficacy).…”

“…However, in explaining teaching performance, there are important common factors that need to be considered. Teacher performance is influenced by the teachers' personality characteristics (Polk, 2006;Curtis & Liying, 2001;Mullins, 1992;Hughes, Costner, & Douzenis, 1988;Mayhew, 1986;Sherman & Blackburn, 1975;Bridgwater, 1982) and their efficacy beliefs in teaching (Yeh, 2006;Fisler & Firestone, 2006;Onafowora, 2005;Rogalla, 2004;Yoon, 2002;Weasmer & Woods, 1998;Gibson & Dembo, 1984). The studies investigating the effects of teachers' personal characteristics on teaching performance became few and far after the 1980's at which point no conclusions were arrived at because of the lack of coherence of the variables for personal characteristics.…”

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“…Several qualitative studies, discussed in the Literature Review, have also shown a positive relationship between these two constructs (e.g., Milner & Woolfolk Hoy, 2003;Stallions, Murrill, and Earp, 2012;Runhaar et al, 2010;Thoonen et al, 2011;Woerkom, Nijhof, & Nieuwenhuis, 2002;Yeh, 2006). The small effect size of their correlation in our study can be explained in terms of Wheatley's (2002) argument that adopting a reflective approach to teaching and therefore questioning one's own teaching approach and style entails a healthy dose of efficacy doubt, as low perceived efficacy can encourage teachers to reflect on and improve their teaching.…”

Simulation-based learning: how can be used to prepare teacher?

“…The study of Yeh (2004) focused computer simulation for teaching general critical-thinking skills and reported that this simulation is an effective vehicle for improving pre-service teachers' reflective teaching in critical-thinking instruction. In later study Yeh (2006) was investigated relationship between intrapersonal intelligence, teaching efficacy in critical-thinking and judicial thinking style in using same computer simulation. Lee and Powell (2005;2006), studied with early childhood pre-service teachers and found that integrating technology-based simulations into pre-service teacher education programs could influence solving discipline problems in real classrooms by helping pre-service teachers construct their own beliefs and philosophy about discipline.…”