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This research is a descriptive, correlational study investigating mathematics teachers' perceptions of their self-efficacy and the effects of teacher characteristics and supervisory behaviors on teachers' self-efficacy. Teachers who teach mathematics from an urban school district in the southern part of the United States were asked to report on their self-efficacy in teaching mathematics and their perception of the supervisory behaviors that support the development of their self-efficacy. The study sought to determine the relationship between teachers of mathematics self-efficacy and the characteristics and supervisory behaviors that foster the development of their self-efficacy. Gender, ethnicity, years of mathematics teaching, level of education, and years at current school are used as control variables. The study findings suggest instructional leaders need to use a variety of strategies to enhance teacher efficacy. Strategies that were reported to be particularly useful included those that foster teacher collaboration, autonomy, and empowerment. Ensuring appropriate systems, services, and support for teacher collaboration should be a priority for those in leadership positions. An important practical implication emerging from this research is the need for feedback. It is expected that the results of this research may benefit educational supervisors when they consider which type of supervision and supportive actions to adopt to foster the development of mathematics self-efficacy in their teachers. / Doctor of Education / This research is designed to investigate mathematics teachers' perceptions of their self-efficacy and the effects of teacher characteristics and supervisory behaviors on teachers’ self-efficacy. The study is threefold: (a) to explore the self-efficacy of teachers who teach mathematics, (b) to identify teacher characteristics and supervisory behaviors that teachers perceived affect teacher self-efficacy, and (c) to determine whether there is a relationship between the mathematics supervisory behaviors and teacher self-efficacy as seen by the teachers, while controlling for gender, ethnicity, years of mathematics teaching, level of education, and years at current school. Teachers who teach mathematics from an urban school district in the southern part of the United States were asked to report on their self-efficacy in teaching mathematics and their perception of the supervisory behaviors that support the development of their self-efficacy. The study findings suggest instructional leaders need to use a variety of strategies to enhance teacher efficacy. Strategies that were reported to be particularly useful included those that foster teacher collaboration, autonomy, and empowerment. Ensuring appropriate systems, services, and support for teacher collaboration should be a priority for those in leadership positions. An important practical implication emerging from this research is the need for feedback. It is expected that the results of this research may benefit educational supervisors when they consider which type of supervision and supportive actions to adopt to foster the development of mathematics self-efficacy in their teachers. Keywords: Self-efficacy, Supervisory behaviors, Mathematics Teachers, Perceptions of Self-efficacy, Teacher Characteristics

Confirmatory factor analysis provided empirical support for the existence of the hypothesized constructs assessed by the CBSEI-C32. Doubly MANOVA indicated that the experimental group was significantly more likely than the control group to demonstrate higher self-efficacy for childbirth and lower perceived anxiety and pain in the early and middle phase of labour. The effects of the programe on anxiety and pain during labour differed according to different phase of labour. Independent samples t test also demonstrated a significantly higher level of coping behaviour performed by the experimental group as compared with the control group. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of an educational intervention, based on Self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1989); to promote women's self-efficacy for childbirth and their coping ability for reducing anxiety and pain during labour. The study consisted of two phases: the 1st phase was to establish the validity and reliability of the primary outcome measure of the phase 2 study: a short form of the Chinese version of the Childbirth Self-efficacy Inventory (CBSEI-C32). The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to establish the construct validity of the CBSEI-C32. In the 2nd phase, the focus was to test the effectiveness of educational intervention to promote women's self-efficacy for childbirth and their coping behaviour during labour. The researcher used an experimental design with random assignment of eligible participants into experimental (n = 54) or control (n = 62) group that completed one pre-test (baseline at 32--34 weeks of gestation) and three posttest surveys (post-intervention at 37 weeks of gestation and within 48 hours and 6 weeks after delivery). The experimental group received two 90-minute sessions of an educational program offered at 33--35 weeks of gestation based on Bandura's (1986) self-efficacy theory. The primary outcome measures were the two subscales of the CBSEI-C32: outcome expectancy (OE-16) and efficacy expectancy (EE-16). The secondary measures included psychological morbidity (GHQ12), pain and anxiety during labour (VAS) and performance of coping behaviour during labour (CCB). Physiological labour outcomes in terms of mode of delivery, length of labour, types of analgesia used, Apgar scores of newborn and neonatal admission were also extracted from the participants' medical record. / Ip Wan Yim. / "June 2005." / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: B, page: 3717. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-191). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / School code: 1307.

Title: Academic self-efficacy of high school students Author: Mgr. et Mgr. Jana Draberová Supervisor: Doc. PhDr. Ilona Gillernová, CSc. Department: Department of Psychology Abstract: This dissertation thesis deals with the concept of academic self-efficacy. The aim of this study was to develop a research tool for assessing high school students` academic self-efficacy, which is not yet available in the Czech environment. The theoretical part is based on a more general level of self-efficacy and further focuses on the specific characteristics of academic self- efficacy and ways of measuring it. The empirical part deals with the development of the questionnaire, with verification of its psychometric characteristics and finding out the relationship with other variables. The research sample consists of 1717 high school students from all regions of the Czech Republic. The research included secondary vocational schools and grammar schools. Students filled in the questionnaire for Czech language and for mathematics. The final research tool is highly reliable and also its validity has been verified. Furthermore, the statistically significant relationship between measured academic self-efficacy and other variables such as school grade, the type of school, gender, specific learning and behavioral disorders or the...

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of teachers&rsquo / sense of efficacy including gender, teaching field, years of teaching experience, satisfaction with performance, support from colleagues, support from parents, and support from administration, and teaching resources. The present study was conducted in the 2006-2007 academic year. The study included a total of 383 science, mathematics, and classroom teachers from 62 elementary schools of &Ccedil / ankaya district in Ankara. Data were collected through Teachers&rsquo / Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran &amp / Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). In the present study, data were analyzed by utilizing four separate hierarchical regression analyses. Results showed that gender, teaching field, and years of teaching experience variables were not significant predictors for overall teacher efficacy, efficacy in instructional strategies, efficacy in classroom management, and efficacy in student engagement, whereas satisfaction with performance variable made significant contribution to all dependent variables. Parental support and teaching resources predicted only efficacy in student engagement.

I Sverige beräknas 17 % av befolkningen ha en hörselnedsättning, vilket innebär att det är den vanligaste sensoriska funktionsnedsättningen. Idag finns det en mängd studier som visar att hörselnedsättning är relaterat till sämre psykisk hälsa. Acceptans av sin hörselnedsättning har visat sig vara positivt för hörselnedsatta och samvarierar med hjälpsökande. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) är en transdiagnostisk behandling där psykopatologi antas bero på en hög grad av upplevelsemässigt undvikande och fusion med tankar. Målet i ACT är att öka psykologisk flexibilitet där acceptans är en betydande komponent. Denna explorativa studie undersökte förändringsprocesser i ACT för personer med hörselnedsättning där utfallet var känslomässig och social anpassning för hörselnedsättningen (HHIE-S). De förändringsprocesser som prövades var acceptans (HAQ), som tidigare visat på medierande effekt för ACT, samt två alternativa förändringsprocesser; self-efficacy (HSE-4) och upplevd stress (PSS-4). Behandlingen bestod av åtta internetadministrerade moduler givna med behandlarstöd där veckovisa mätningar av förändringsprocesser och utfall användes. Studiens resultat visar att behandlingsgruppen upplevde marginellt signifikant mindre problem med känslomässig och social anpassning för hörselnedsättningen (HHIE-S). Studiens resultat pekar på att hörselrelaterad acceptans (HAQ) och self- efficacy (HSE-4) medierar behandlingens effekt på deltagarnas känslomässiga och sociala anpassning för hörselnedsättning (HHIE-S). Således tillför denna studie ytterligare belägg för acceptans som förändringsprocess i ACT. Även self-efficacy kan vara en intressant mediator att beakta i fortsatt forskning.

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The study aimed to explore full-service school teachers’ sense of self-efficacy in teaching within an inclusive education system. This study formed part of a follow up qualitative phase of an international collaborative research project between South Africa, Finland, China, Slovenia, Lithuania and England. The main purpose of this comparative project was to produce a knowledge base that sheds light on the nature of the development of inclusive education in different countries from a teacher’s perspective. The data from the first quantitative phase indicated that many South African teachers experience a lack of self-efficacy in the implementation of inclusive education. Inclusive education has brought many challenges for full-service school teachers. Classrooms now have a wider range of diverse learning needs and this impacts significantly on classroom practice. This situation often creates stress and can exacerbate feelings of inefficiency. When teachers acquire abilities, skills and professional expertise they often accept the responsibilities of inclusive education and subsequently become more confident about inclusion which in turn empowers them to be more effective in teaching. Adequate professional development and sufficient support can, therefore, help teachers to feel more equipped to address and consequently experience positive self-efficacy beliefs. Teachers with improved self-efficacy will, therefore, become more motivated to implement inclusive education successfully. Consequently, in this research teachers’ sense of self-efficacy within an inclusive education environment with specific reference to South African teachers was further explored. The purpose of my research was to explore factors that influence full-service school teachers’ sense of self-efficacy, enabling or disabling them to implement inclusive education successfully. Bandura’s social cognitive theory of self-efficacy as well as Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological framework formed the theoretical framework of this study. To achieve this purpose, a qualitative interpretive design was decided upon by employing a multiple case study (two full service schools) as strategy of inquiry. Twenty one teachers voluntarily participated in this research, eleven from the first school and ten from the second school. Data was collected through qualitative data generation methods which included focus group and individual interviews, collages and an open questionnaire. The findings from the literature review as well as the empirical data revealed that self-efficacy as a concept was best described and understood in relating low with high teacher self-efficacy. A teacher with a high sense of self-efficacy can be viewed as a person who exhibits and portrays certain traits and skills. It was evident that sufficient knowledge about what inclusive education entails, intra- and inter-personal skills, as well as values that take the best interest of the learner into consideration, are essential for teachers to experience a high sense of self-efficacy in an inclusive education environment. The findings also indicated that certain ecosystemic factors are currently enabling and disabling teachers’ sense of self-efficacy to implement inclusive education successfully. These factors were reflected in the specific needs of teachers to be more self-effective in an inclusive education system. This included more and effective continuous professional development opportunities (CPD) for professional and personal development; increased and improved support from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) (provincial and district) as well as the school and peers; improved collaboration with parents, NGO’s and HEI’s; a more flexible curriculum; and more acknowledgement for achievements from the school, parents and the DBE. These needs were addressed in recommendations for teachers themselves, the schools and the DBE in order to develop and enhance teachers’ sense of self-efficacy, within an inclusive full-service school. / PhD (Learner Support)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015.

The study aimed to explore full-service school teachers’ sense of self-efficacy in teaching within an inclusive education system. This study formed part of a follow up qualitative phase of an international collaborative research project between South Africa, Finland, China, Slovenia, Lithuania and England. The main purpose of this comparative project was to produce a knowledge base that sheds light on the nature of the development of inclusive education in different countries from a teacher’s perspective. The data from the first quantitative phase indicated that many South African teachers experience a lack of self-efficacy in the implementation of inclusive education. Inclusive education has brought many challenges for full-service school teachers. Classrooms now have a wider range of diverse learning needs and this impacts significantly on classroom practice. This situation often creates stress and can exacerbate feelings of inefficiency. When teachers acquire abilities, skills and professional expertise they often accept the responsibilities of inclusive education and subsequently become more confident about inclusion which in turn empowers them to be more effective in teaching. Adequate professional development and sufficient support can, therefore, help teachers to feel more equipped to address and consequently experience positive self-efficacy beliefs. Teachers with improved self-efficacy will, therefore, become more motivated to implement inclusive education successfully. Consequently, in this research teachers’ sense of self-efficacy within an inclusive education environment with specific reference to South African teachers was further explored. The purpose of my research was to explore factors that influence full-service school teachers’ sense of self-efficacy, enabling or disabling them to implement inclusive education successfully. Bandura’s social cognitive theory of self-efficacy as well as Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological framework formed the theoretical framework of this study. To achieve this purpose, a qualitative interpretive design was decided upon by employing a multiple case study (two full service schools) as strategy of inquiry. Twenty one teachers voluntarily participated in this research, eleven from the first school and ten from the second school. Data was collected through qualitative data generation methods which included focus group and individual interviews, collages and an open questionnaire. The findings from the literature review as well as the empirical data revealed that self-efficacy as a concept was best described and understood in relating low with high teacher self-efficacy. A teacher with a high sense of self-efficacy can be viewed as a person who exhibits and portrays certain traits and skills. It was evident that sufficient knowledge about what inclusive education entails, intra- and inter-personal skills, as well as values that take the best interest of the learner into consideration, are essential for teachers to experience a high sense of self-efficacy in an inclusive education environment. The findings also indicated that certain ecosystemic factors are currently enabling and disabling teachers’ sense of self-efficacy to implement inclusive education successfully. These factors were reflected in the specific needs of teachers to be more self-effective in an inclusive education system. This included more and effective continuous professional development opportunities (CPD) for professional and personal development; increased and improved support from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) (provincial and district) as well as the school and peers; improved collaboration with parents, NGO’s and HEI’s; a more flexible curriculum; and more acknowledgement for achievements from the school, parents and the DBE. These needs were addressed in recommendations for teachers themselves, the schools and the DBE in order to develop and enhance teachers’ sense of self-efficacy, within an inclusive full-service school. / PhD (Learner Support)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015.