In this research, a model of teachers’ efficacy posed by Tschannen-Moran, Woolfolk-Hoy, and Hoy (1998) is considered with regard to teachers’ use of standardized assessment data. This study is timely because teachers are expected to utilize standardized test scores, but they are often underprepared for this task. As a result of minimal experiences, teachers require in-service opportunities that develop their efficacy and knowledge toward standardized assessment. This proposal provides an opportunity for such experiences, and assesses the impact of a professional development activities designed to foster teachers’ assessment efficacy and knowledge. Last, for considerations pertaining to program evaluation, this report will explore the relevance of using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) as an alternative statistical procedure. / text

A longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of leadership capabilities and teachers’ efficacy beliefs in the context of their participation in a technology integration project. Participants included seventeen elementary school teachers and seven administrators in a school district located in the southwestern United States. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies were utilized over the course of the three and a half year project. Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory served as the framework for defining self-efficacy and explaining the potential influences of empowerment on teacher efficacy. Since the goal was to understand and describe the relationship between participation in the district project and the teachers’ efficacy beliefs, a qualitative research approach was chosen. Descriptive information related to teachers’ experiences and perceptions were gathered through observations of team meetings and interviews with teachers and administrators. All of the notes from the interviews and observations were transcribed using the constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis. Quantitative analyses were conducted to investigate the fluctuation of teacher efficacy over the course of the project. Teacher efficacy was measured at three points: prior to participation, at the end of the planning stage and after implementation of the technology in the classrooms. Qualitative results indicated that participation in the technology integration project did not have a positive effect on teachers’ perceptions of their leadership capabilities. Interview data included multiple reports of teachers’ negative feelings of empowerment and leadership opportunities. Four of the seven administrators supported the teachers’ position that leadership was not developed. Three of the administrators felt that leadership was developed but no support was provided for their assertion. Quantitative results found no statistical difference in general teaching efficacy. An increase in personal teaching efficacy was evident between the second and third administrations of the TES. The qualitative data provided an explanation for this increase. The qualitative data revealed that the addition of new technology tools allowed these teachers to develop new teaching methods. This in turn allowed the TIP teachers to reach more students which led to an increase in personal teacher efficacy.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in the Department of Psychology of Education of the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2002. / The aims ofthis research were: • To detennine the status of teacher efficacy in a number of selected schools in KwaZulu-Natal. • To suggest a number of recommendations for the improvement of teacher efficacy in these schools. The life-world of the teacher involves a complex network of relationships with himself, with ideas, with objects and with others. Teachers are achievement oriented. Most teachers strive to realise their full potential through self-actualisation. Various studies have been conducted on teacher efficacy to determine the different dynamics that influence teacher motivation, teachers' professional esteem, thinking, decision-making, and classroom discipline and management. Results have shown that teachers with a high sense of efficacy are generally strongly motivated and satisfied with their jobs, persevere when faced with obstacles, maintain good classroom discipline, and attempt to bring out the best in their students. Conversely, teachers with a low sense of efficacy give up easily when faced with obstacles, are afraid to accept challenges, feel inadequate in the classroom, and harbour feelings of guilt and trepidation when their students perform poorly. For the purpose of the empirical investigation, a structured questionnaire "vas used. Teachers from schools in the City of Durban District were asked to complete the questionnaire. An analvsis was done of the 150 completed questionnaires that were returned. The data obtained was processed and interpreted by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. The null hypothesis, namely that there is no relation between the teacher's experience of the teaching situation and his efficacy, that is, the power to produce the effect wanted, has to be accepted. In conclusion, a summary and certain fmdings emanating from the literature study and the empirical investigation were presented. Based on these findings, the following recommendations were made: • Teachers need to be developed professionally. Proactive professional development programmes should be designed to extend the personal strengths of teachers. Professional development provides opportunities for teachers to acquire new skills and attitudes which can enhance their efficacy. • Teaching conditions need to be reformed. This involves transforming the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. Teachers need to undertake initiatives which are designed to improve their efficacy. At the same time, school management and education authorities need to improve working conditions so that more effective teaching can take place. • Teachers need to be satisfied \vith their jobs in order to perform effectively. The workload of teachers needs to be reduced considerably to enable them to focus more on particular tasks. Furthermore, teachers reqmre greater incentives to motivate them to perform more effectively. • Stress in the workplace needs to be reduced if teachers are to perform optimally. The onus rests on all role players to make a concerted effort to control the level of stress in the workplace

This correlation design study investigated the relationship between urban first and second grade classroom teachers’ sense of efficacy for literacy instruction and the reading achievement of their highly mobile students. Teachers’ sense of efficacy for literacy instruction was shown in previous studies to be correlated to student achievement. To obtain data for this study, a modified version of the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy for Literacy Instruction Scale (TSELS) questionnaire was administered to 48 urban first and second grade classroom teachers within a single school district located in the southwestern region of the United States. Students’ pre and posttest scores in fluency and comprehension obtained from beginning- and end-of-the-year Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) provided additional data on student achievement. Analyses using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) determined that there was not a statistically significant difference between urban first grade classroom teachers’ sense of efficacy and urban second grade classroom teachers’ overall sense of efficacy for literacy instruction for their highly mobile students: F(2, 45a0 = .94, p = .40; Wilks Lambda = .96 at p, .05; partial eta squared = .04. There was not a statistically significant difference between first and second grade classroom teachers’ sense of efficacy on the subscales of efficacy for integrating the language arts and differentiating instruction. Paired sample t-tests determined there was significant growth in the reading achievement of highly mobile first grade students and highly mobile second grade students. Independent samples t-tests found no significant difference in the growth of reading achievement between highly mobile first grade students and highly mobile second grade students. Finally, multiple regression analyses concluded that there was not a statistical relationship between teachers’ sense of efficacy for literacy instruction and the reading achievement of their highly mobile first and second grade students.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between teacher efficacy levels and fifth grade Virginia SOL Mathematic achievement. This study sought to determine the extent to which personal efficacy, general efficacy, and total efficacy account for fifth grade Virginia Standards of Learning Mathematic achievement over and above that explained by teacher experience, teacher education, and class size. A critical review of the previous research methodologies and findings on teacher efficacy demonstrated the need for further research in this area. This study hoped to provide school officials in educational leadership with data necessary to plan professional development to improve classroom instruction, teacher efficacy, and student achievement. This study utilized a quantitative survey which measured personal, general, and total efficacy levels among fifth grade teachers in 11 elementary schools located in central Virginia. Twenty-one of the 27 (78%) 5th grade teachers that were surveyed, completed and returned the survey used in the study. Other data, such as teacher education, teacher experience, class size, and student achievement scores were collected from the division with the permission of the division's superintendent. Results of the data analysis indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between teacher efficacies and 5th grade mathematics SOL achievement. The findings demonstrated that personal teaching efficacy, general teaching efficacy, and total teaching efficacy had no significant impact on 5th grade mathematics SOL achievement over and above the extent that teacher experience, teacher education, and class size impacted student achievement. It should be noted that the following limitations may have impacted the final results of the analysis. Class sizes were of mixed math ability, ranging from 11-23 students. Special education students tended to be in the smaller sized inclusion classes and gifted and talented students tended to be in the larger class sizes. Teacher efficacy levels were based on self-report. The sample size was small and limited generalizability of the results due to the focus on one Virginia school division. Also, student factors, such as prior achievement, were not included in the study. In this study, teacher education and class size did show significance associated with student achievement. Again, the limitations may have contributed to the findings of this study. The study showed that teachers with a master's degree had lower student achievement than teachers with a bachelor's degree, but the results might have been impacted from the limitations. Larger class sizes also had increased student achievement. Factors, such as class make-up of students (smaller classes typically had special education inclusion students and larger class sizes typically included gifted and talented students), class size (smallest class was 11 students and the largest class was 24), and teacher assignment (teachers with master's degrees could have been assigned to students with more academic needs), need to be considered when reviewing these findings, implications, and recommendations. The implications and recommendations were drawn from the findings of this study. The factors and limitations of the study were taken into consideration when the implications and recommendations were developed. / Ed. D.

Informed by previous research from both the teacher efficacy and data-driven educational reform literatures, this study sought to identify whether teachers’ sense of efficacy for their practice was related to their attitudes toward and use of data-based pedagogical techniques. Data use was operationalized in two ways. First, data use referred to teachers’ use of any type of systematically-collected data (e.g. student performance on yearly state tests, demographic information). Data use was also operationalized as teachers’ use of a newly implemented student assessment system that provided teachers with student performance data and resources for working with those data. This study also examined whether associations between teacher efficacy and teachers’ use of data were related to student achievement. Participants were fourth and fifth grade teachers (n= 96) and students (n= 2042) from 46 elementary schools in a large, urban school district. Sources providing data for this study included student-, teacher-, and school-level demographic information, measures of student achievement in reading and math, a survey administered to assess teachers’ efficacy and their data-use related attitudes and behavior, and computer-generated use logs which captured teachers’ use of the student assessment system. Multilevel modeling was used to explore these relationships. The results revealed that teacher efficacy was related to aspects of teachers’ use of data, though these relationships varied depending on the operational definition of data use. Teachers’ efficacy was positively related to teachers’ use of data in general, but negatively related to their use of the new student assessment system. The latter finding may be at least partially attributable to difficulties this district experienced when implementing the assessment system. Additional analyses demonstrated that interactions between teacher efficacy and aspects of their data use were positively related to student achievement in reading when reading achievement was covaried for prior performance. This study concludes that teacher efficacy appears to be related to teachers’ attitudes toward and use of data, though the exact nature of these relationships should be clarified further with additional research, particularly given the implementation obstacles this district faced during the implementation of the data system (Wayman, Cho, & Shaw, 2009b). Further, these factors appear to be associated with positive student achievement outcomes in reading, a finding that should also be explored at greater length. Explorations such as these lend needed insight into the factors that determine whether teachers adopt or reject data-driven educational reforms and whether student achievement outcomes might benefit from teachers’ attention to these types of data. / text

In a mixed method study, teacher efficacy and contributing theoretical constructs of teacher concerns and teacher orientation with preservice teacher candidates were examined. Intermediate/Senior mathematics preservice teacher candidates from two major Ontario Universities’ Faculties of Education participated in this study. Data sources included a web-based survey containing two teacher efficacy scales and short answer questions, interviews with the preservice teacher candidates, and Intermediate/Senior mathematics course and program information collected from course instructors. Complexity theory provides support for the mixed methods methodology and the integrated and complex nature of teacher efficacy and its contributing factors. The literature on teacher efficacy rarely ventures into the secondary school mathematics preservice teacher level of teacher professional development. The study more clearly identifies teacher efficacy with preservice mathematics teachers and how teacher efficacy relates to teacher concerns and teacher orientation. The findings deepen the understanding of the connections between the constructs of teacher efficacy, teacher concern, and teacher orientation. Following from these findings, changes and considerations for preservice teacher preparation programs in order to more fully prepare secondary school mathematics teachers are described.

The focus of this study was threefold. First, the study sought to determine the validity and reliability of an instrument being used to measure teacher efficacy. After psychometric analysis, the Utah Teacher Efficacy Scale (UTES) was deemed as both a valid and reliable instrument for the purpose of measuring preservice and novice elementary school teacher efficacy. Second, this study analyzed teacher self-efficacy of preservice and novice elementary school teachers at two different points in a time - once at the end of their teacher preparation program, and again after they had taught for one academic year. The sample (N = 123) for this study was created from graduates of teacher preparation programs throughout the state of Utah. A two-factor repeated measures ANOVA design was used to measure one between-subjects factor (Factor A) and one within-subjects factor (Factor B). Factor A involved a comparison between two independent groups of prospective teachers based on the type of student teaching assignment, number of student teaching placements, and the number of literacy methods courses completed. The two levels of Factor B consisted of two different UTES measurement occasions. Results of this analysis indicated that preservice teachers in this study reported high teacher efficacy. As these individuals became teachers, their teacher efficacy fell, indicating there is room for improvement in presenting the realities of teaching. Additionally, teacher preparation program characteristics such as the type of student teaching experience (student teaching or internship), and the number of student teaching placements (one or two) do not seem to provide statistically significant advantages over time. The number of literacy methods courses, however, does seem to provide statistically significant advantages in securing and maintaining high teacher efficacy over time in the areas of global and reading teacher efficacy. Third, the study also analyzed how school context variables affect teacher efficacy. Novice teachers (N = 136) were asked to rate the usefulness of professional development and the helpfulness of the mentoring support they received. Results of this analysis showed that professional development and mentoring support, if perceived as useful and helpful, had a positive and statistically significant correlation with teacher efficacy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of teacher efficacy reported by student teachers upon completion of the student teaching experience and to better understand the perceptions held by the student teachers regarding the roles the university supervisor played. The roles played by the supervisor focused on the levels of support and challenge. These two concepts (levels of support and challenge) refer to the types of actions of the university supervisor which either affirms the actions of the preservice teacher or identifies an area in which the preservice teacher needs to improve. The perceptions held by the student teachers were examined along with the reported beliefs about teacher efficacy to determine if any correlations existed. The information from the students teachers was obtained at the completion of the student teaching experience using online surveys. The surveys were completed by 121 student teachers. This resulted in a 27% response rate. The relationship between the preservice teachers' beliefs of efficacy and their perception of their university supervisors was studied. Data analysis established that there was no statistical significance or relationship with beliefs of efficacy and either levels of support or challenge. Since there was no statistically significant relationship between support and efficacy or challenge and efficacy, an ideal combination of levels of support and challenge to result in a maximum level of efficacy beliefs cannot be established from the regression model. / Dissertation Chair: Dr. George Bieger Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Monte Tidwell and Dr. James Hooks

The purpose of this study is to explore the personality traits, emotional management and teacher efficacy of the junior high school teachers in Tainan City and to analyze if there is any relationship among them. The study is conducted by means of questionnaire survey with ¡§Questionnaire on Personality Traits, Emotional Management and Teacher Efficacy of the Junior High School Teachers in Tainan City.¡¨ 1796 teachers are randomly sampled from 18 junior high schools in Tainan City. Among the collected questionnaires, 624 were valid. The effective questionnaire was 95%. The collected data was analyzed by statistical methods, including mean, standard deviation, t-test, one way ANOVA, Pearson¡¦s product-moment correlation, Canonical correlation, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Based on the analyzed results, the followings are concluded: 1.The overall personality traits of junior high school teachers in Tainan City are positive , among which the level of ¡§agreeableness¡¨ is the highest. 2.The overall emotional management ability of junior high school teachers in Tainan City is high intermediate , among which the level of ¡§emotional sense¡¨ is the highest. 3.The overall teacher efficacy of the junior high school teachers in Tainan City is high intermediate. Among which, the level of efficacy for instructional strategies and the level of efficacy for classroom management are obviously higher than the level of efficacy for student engagement. 4.The overall personality traits are positive among the junior high school woman teachers who were graduated from university, aged above 51 ,with more than 16 years of teaching experience. 5.The overall emotional management are better among the junior high school woman teachers who were graduated from university, with less 5 year teaching experience. 6.The overall teacher efficacy are higher among the junior high school woman teachers who were aged above 51 and with the teaching experience of more than 26 years. 7.The junior high school teachers who have higher level of ¡§openness¡¨ in these five personality traits have better teacher efficacy. 8.The more positive for personality traits and the higher emotional management, the better teacher efficacy. According to the results and conclusions of this study, the researcher proposes some specific suggestions for the related school or education administration's staff to do further study.