This research analyzed the effects of the Marzano Teacher Observation training on the self-efficacy of teacher observers. In this study, seventy-four teacher observers reported their self-efficacy in the areas of evaluating student engagement, evaluating classroom management, and evaluating instructional strategies in pre and post surveys. The results of the surveys were analyzed with a paired samples t-test. This study found that the Marzano Teacher Observation system increases the self-efficacy of teacher observers. This study was delimited to participants of a Marzano Teacher Observation training conducted in the fall of 2014. The findings of this study will inform executive school leaders of the impact Marzano Teacher Observation training has on the self-efficacy of teacher observers.

A number of studies have addressed the correlations between transformational leadership and its impact on the self-efficacy of teachers. This quantitative, non-experimental study design adds to this growing body of knowledge by examining the transformational leadership qualities of school principals as perceived by female teachers, and its influence on their self-efficacy. For this study, the targeted population was 208 teachers within a single all-female school district in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. At the time of this study, this school district included eight all-female public schools, which were all similar with respect to physical infrastructure, curricula, number of teachers and students, and the socioeconomic status of the local population. Two validated survey instruments were used for this study: (a) the Principal Leadership Questionnaire (PLQ) for assessing transformational leadership characteristics; and (b) the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) to evaluate the teachers' sense of efficacy. The data were formatted using Qualtrics survey software and all data were analyzed in SPSS (V26). In total, data from 85 surveys were analyzed. Descriptive and statistical analyses indicated that the surveyed teachers did perceive that their school leaders' behavior reflected transformational leadership characteristics. Pearson's correlation analysis was utilized to determine the relationship between teachers' perceptions of their principals' transformational leadership and their sense of self-efficacy, revealing a statistically significant positive correlation between the two variables. A bivariate analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation coefficients and a 2-tailed test to investigate the relationship between all dimensions. The correlation indicated that vision, modeling, and goal acceptance were significantly correlated to efficacy for student engagement and instructional strategies. Conversely, results indicated the absence of statistically significant correlations between individualized support and student engagement; similarly, no correlation was found between intellectual stimulation and high expectations with any of the teacher-efficacy factors. Multiple linear regression was used to examine whether the moderating factors of teaching experience and level of education would represent significant predictors for the linkage between principals' transformational leadership and teachers' sense of efficacy. The results showed that neither variable was a significant predictor for teachers' views of their leaders' transformational behaviors and their level of efficacy. Finally, t-test analysis was used to examine the differences between elementary and secondary teachers' perceptions of their principals' transformational leadership behaviors. A significant difference was found between teachers' perceptions of their principals transformational leadership style and the school level (e.g., elementary, middle, or high school). The results from this study are consistent with the theoretical framework that transformational leadership theory has a positive impact on teachers self-efficacy, as well as support findings from prior studies in this area of educational research. The findings from this investigation provide useful data to those studying educational leadership, as well as school principals, administrators, and other leaders who play significant roles in changing, facilitating, and improving education. Additional studies are recommended to determine if this relationship exists in all-male schools in Saudi Arabia or in other countries. / Doctor of Philosophy / A number of scholars have addressed the relationship between transformational leadership style and teacher self-efficacy, indicating that teachers display increased levels of self-efficacy when working under the direction of a principal who practices transformational leadership. This quantitative, non-experimental study design examined the transformational leadership qualities of school principals as perceived by female educators teaching in all-female public schools located within a single school district in Saudi Arabia, as well as how this relationship impacted their sense of self-efficacy. Two survey instruments were used: The Principal Leadership Questionnaire (PLQ), and the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES). Resulting data analysis indicated that teachers did perceive that their school leaders' behavior reflected transformational leadership characteristics. Moreover, the findings from the study confirmed a significant positive correlation between the principals' transformational leadership and teachers' self-efficacy. This study is expected to contribute to a greater understanding of the effect of leadership practices on the self-efficacy of teachers, with a corollary understanding of how this relationship may enhance educational outcomes for students.

Recent years have witnessed a growing concern for individuals’ abilities to effectively manage work and family. Employees are demanding balance between work and personal life and employers, who are interested in attracting and retaining talent, are looking for ways to respond. One way employers are responding is by implementing work-family initiatives and encouraging a family-supportive culture. In this thesis, I investigate the relationship of such resources (family-supportive organizational perceptions-FSOP and perceptions of implementation of work-family initiatives) and contextual demands (role overload) with the work-family interface (work-to-family conflict and enrichment). In response to research calls to highlight the role of the individual in shaping the relationships between work and family experiences, I introduce the construct and measure of balance self-efficacy. I define balance self-efficacy as one’s beliefs about one’s own ability to manage resources, demands, and stakeholders from the work and family domains. I argue that balance self-efficacy mediates the relationships between resources and demands from one side and the work-family interface from the other side. I draw on the Conservation of Resources Theory and the Work-Home Resource Model to propose that balance self-efficacy is a personal resource that enables the individual to perceive less conflict and more enrichment between work and family. I propose that balance self-efficacy is largely drawn from the individual’s perception of his or her context. Hypotheses were tested in a sample of 420 participants employed at a financial institution in the United Arab Emirates. Hypotheses were tested using multiple regression and Bootstrapping techniques using PROCESS by Preacher and Hayes (2008). The results show that the individual’s cognitive assessment of their own ability to manage work and family (balance self-efficacy) relates negatively to work-to-family conflict and positively to work-to-family enrichment, thus suggesting that balance self-efficacy is not only a resilience resource that employees refer to in moments of conflict but also an enriching resource that allows the individual to view participation in the work domain as beneficial for participation in the family domain. Results also suggest that the employee’s perception of the messages emitted by the organization in the form of perceptions of family supportiveness and perceptions of implementation of work-family initiatives relate positively to an increased sense of balance self-efficacy. Contextual demands, in the form of role overload, relate negatively to balance self-efficacy. This thesis aims to contribute to the resource-view of the work-family interface and highlight personal agency in determining perceptions of conflict and enrichment between work and family. It does so by focusing on the individual’s assessment of their beliefs in their own ability to manage work and family and the role of organizational context in determining that sense of efficacy. By doing so, the purpose is to shed the light on the malleable aspects of the work-family experiences that can be positively manipulated. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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<p>This dissertation reports the development of a scale to measure childrens' and adolescents' self-perceptions regarding their involvement in those physical activities typical of youth. Self-efficacy theory is used as a perspective from which to view these perceptions. The test-retest reliability, and both the construct and predictive validity of this scale are investigated and established. The development and testing of a Participation Questionnaire and a Teacher's Evaluation form are also reported herein.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

In contemporary Chinese higher education, classroom lectures combined with a web-based learning support system are broadly applied. This study investigated what kind of feedback strategy could be effective in improving students' self-efficacy and course satisfaction in a blended learning context. Standard volitional messages were constructed and—along with traditional feedback content (knowledge of results and knowledge of correct response)—distributed to a large undergraduate class in China. Sixty-seven freshmen participated in this pure experimental study. Results indicated that students' learning self-efficacy and course satisfaction were significantly correlated. In addition, participants who received the knowledge of correct response plus volitional messages (KCR+V) showed greater course satisfaction than those who received other types of feedback messages. No significant difference emerged in self-efficacy. Future research directions are discussed. / Ph. D.

Clinical supervision of counselors in training is an integral part of the professional and personal development of counselors. Accrediting bodies in academia and licensure standards in most fields require beginning professionals to receive clinical supervision. During clinical supervision, supervisees frequently experience anxiety and the supervisees' self-efficacy, or belief about their ability to counsel clients, is affected by supervision. The questions addressed in this study were to what extent does clinical supervision affect supervisees' anxiety and self-efficacy and do different types of supervision have varying effects on supervisees' anxiety and self-efficacy. A meta-analysis comprised of ten studies was conducted to determine the influence of supervision on supervisees' anxiety and self-efficacy. Clinical supervision was found to have a medium effect, ES = .454 and ES = .430, on supervisees' anxiety. Clinical supervision had a large, ES = .655, effect on supervisees' self-efficacy. In addition, a qualitative review of the studies included in the meta-analysis yielded methodological concerns in the areas of adequate control group, sample size, representativeness of sample, and follow-up assessment. Due to the small number of studies meeting the meta-analysis criteria, quantitative findings were limited. Therefore, individual interviews with clinical supervisors and supervisees were conducted to corroborate or refute the findings of the meta-analysis and to lend multiple "voices" in an attempt to answer the research questions. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with nine supervisees and five supervisors in a Counselor Education program. The results of the interviews corroborated the finding of the meta-analysis that clinical supervision affects supervisees' anxiety and self-efficacy by increasing both. All types of supervision were described as increasing anxiety and self-efficacy with no particular type predominating. Limitations of the research and implications for educators, practitioners, and future research are discussed. A limitation of the meta-analysis was the relatively small number of existing studies meeting the criteria for inclusion. This limited the interpretation of the findings in terms of answering the research questions. The interview portion of the research was limited due to the use of a purposive sample, participants all being students from the same program, and the researcher was also a student in this program. / Ph. D.

College enrollment and graduation rates for African Americans remain lower than enrollment and graduation rates for middle and upper-class White students. The lower enrollment and graduation rates have an effect on the number of African American students who pursue the Ph.D. and other research doctorate degrees. In order to increase the number of African Americans and other underrepresented students in the Ph.D. pipeline, the United States Congress passed legislation that created the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Scholars Program) in the mid-1980s. The purpose of the McNair Scholars Program is to prepare college students for doctoral studies and careers in academia through involvement in summer research internships and other scholarly activities. One way in which this program may prepare students is through the development of students' academic, research and social self-efficacy. To date, however little research has been conducted to see if the McNair Scholars Program has an effect on African American students' levels of self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to compare levels of academic, research and social self-efficacy among African American pre- and post-McNair Scholar participants. Levels of self-efficacy were analyzed by McNair participant status (pre-McNair and post-McNair), gender, college and grade point average. The study employed a national sample of African American pre- and post McNair Scholar Program participants. Data were collected using the Graduate Education Self-Efficacy Scale (GESES), a 57-item instrument designed specifically for this study. Items for the survey were developed utilizing existing literature on academic, research and social self-efficacy. Results revealed significant differences in academic, research and social self-efficacy between African American pre- and post-McNair Scholar Program participants. There were no significant differences by gender on academic, research or social self-efficacy. Neither were significant differences found by college grade level on academic or social self-efficacy. There were, however, significant differences based on college grade level on research self-efficacy. There were also significant interaction effects between gender and college grade level on academic, research and social self-efficacy. The results suggest that participating in the McNair Scholars Program raises levels of academic, research and social self-efficacy among African American college students. / Ph. D.

In this world of fast-paced learning, training agencies often require their learners to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for a job at an expedited rate. Because of this rapid form of training, learners are sometimes uncertain about their abilities to execute task-based performances. This uncertainty can lead to a decrease in learners’ self-efficacy on expected task performance. In order to help with this training, trainers are using a variety of simulations and simulators to provide learners’ valuable and necessary training experiences. This mixed methods study explored the influence of high-fidelity virtual training simulators on learners’ self-efficacy. It used pre- and post-simulation-use surveys that combined general self-efficacy questions (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995) and task-specific self-efficacy questions (Bandura, 1977, 1997, 2006; Bandura, Adams, Hardy, & Howells, 1980). This study had a sample size of 18 participants. It was assumed that the intent of providing learners with the vital experience needed to perform specific tasks in a high-fidelity virtual training simulator was to increase their self-efficacy on task-specific criteria. Instead, through surveys, observations, and interviews, the research revealed a decrease in learners’ self-efficacy due to heightened emotional arousal stemming from the learners’ experiences with the level of realism the simulator provide, as well as with breakdowns within the simulator. The breakdowns and the realism were the most influential aspects that influenced self-efficacy in this study. The significance of these findings shows that despite learners wanting to use high-fidelity virtual training simulators, improperly functioning simulators can negatively influence learners’ self-efficacy in task-based performances. / Ph. D.