The aim of this investigation was to predict the extent of curriculum implementation in early childhood education from several variables defined as (1) school related factors, (2) teacher demographics, (3) teaching beliefs, and (4) teacher self-efficacy beliefs. A total of 308 early childhood teachers employed in public schools in the central districts of Ankara, Turkey, selected through cluster sampling, composed the sample of this study. Data were collected with the instrument including Curriculum Implementation Scale, Turkish Version of the Teachers&rsquo / Sense of Efficacy Scale, Teacher Beliefs Survey, and Personal Information Form. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to provide evidence for validity and reliability of the scales. Two separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses were, moreover, employed at the alpha level of .025 to answer research questions. The results overall demonstrated that teacher self-efficacy and teaching beliefs significantly predicted the extent early childhood teachers implemented current curriculum as regards content selection and learning process, while teacher demographics were only significant for the extent of curriculum implementation regarding learning process. On the other hand, school related factors did not contribute to the extent of curriculum implementation for both content selection and learning process. In particular, constructivist teaching beliefs and teacher efficacy beliefs for student engagement and instructional strategies explained the extent of curriculum implementation regarding content selection. Considering the implementation of learning process, teachers&rsquo / years of experience was, moreover, found to be a significant predictor along with constructivist teaching beliefs and teacher efficacy beliefs for student engagement and instructional strategies.

When the classroom environment is safe, reductions in aggression and an increase in compliance with rules can be expected. Teacher self-efficacy is therefore likely to play a significant role in teachers’ participation in the change process of implementing strategies that assist with classroom management styles. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and classroom management styles (reward strategies, preventive strategies, initial corrective strategies, and later corrective strategies). Teachers’ characteristics such as age, gender, education level, years of teaching experience, grade level taught, and class size were also explored to provide insight on teacher training and professional development programs. Survey data were collected from 43 teachers in urban and rural area of West Tennessee. The Spearman correlation analysis indicated a correlation between teacher self-efficacy and the four classroom management styles while the linear regression model showed that teacher characteristics do not predict teacher’s self-efficacy. This study revealed that the practice of preventive strategies by teachers had a greater impact on teacher self-efficacy scores compared to other classroom management strategies (reward strategies, initial corrective strategies, and later corrective strategies). Findings reinforce that school climate plays a significant role in the professional development of teachers and their use of specific classroom management practices. Addressing the gap between teachers’ efficacy beliefs and classroom decisions could help school professionals to develop interventions to minimize this gap, which could, in turn, promote positive school outcomes, such as students’ behavior adjustment and academic achievement.

Standardized test data indicate that student achievement in science is a problem both nationally and locally. At the study site, only a small percentage of fifth-grade students score at the advanced level on the Maryland state science assessment (MSA). In addition, the performance of African American, economically disadvantaged, and special education students is well below that of the general student population. Some studies have shown that teacher self-efficacy affects student achievement. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between fifth-grade teacher inquiry science instruction self-efficacy scores and the scores of their students on the MSA. Bandura's work on the effect of self-efficacy on human behavior provided the theoretical basis for this study. The research questions examined the relationship between teacher inquiry science instructional self-efficacy scores and students' science MSA scores as well as the relationship by student subgroups. A correlational research design was used. The Teaching Science as Inquiry survey instrument was used to quantify teacher self-efficacy, and archival MSA data were the source for student scores. The study included data from 22 teachers and 1,625 of their students. A 2-tailed Pearson coefficient analysis revealed significant, positive relationships with regard to overall student achievement (r20 = .724, p < .01) and the achievement of each of the subgroups (African American: r20 = .549, p < .01; economically disadvantaged: r20 = .655, p < .01; and special education: r18 = .532, p < .05). The results of this study present an opportunity for positive social change because the local school system can provide professional development that may increase teacher inquiry science instruction self-efficacy as a possible means to improve overall science achievement and to reduce achievement gaps.

Today's early childhood programs are required to have high-quality inclusive classrooms that serve preschool children with disabilities and diverse needs employed by highly-qualified early childhood teachers. The problem of this study was to describe the current status of pre-service teachers' perspectives of their own teacher self-efficacy, philosophical beliefs, and epistemological beliefs for inclusive practices in an early childhood classroom at the conclusion of an introductory early childhood education course. The study also looked at differences by certification track- EC-6 bilingual (n = 5), EC-6 generalist (n = 8), EC-6 ESL (n = 12), and all-level SpEd (n = 7). The participants (n = 32) were a convenient sample in an Introductory to Early Childhood Education course at a Texas university. Three post-course assignments (i.e. the final self-evaluation, the post-course philosophy of education, and the post-course successful early childhood inclusive teacher drawing) were given to students in an introductory early childhood course and were subjected to content analysis and thematic analysis. The TEIP survey was used as a framework for content analysis. The group-as-a-whole, the EC-6 bilingual, the EC-6 generalists, the all-level SpEd, and the EC-6 ESL certification track participants' teacher self-efficacy perspectives content showed high teacher self-efficacious comments in regards to "classroom environment and student expectations." The all-level SpEd certification track participants' data showed high high teacher self-efficacious comments similar to the group-as-a-whole, with additional comments focused on "providing an alternative explanation or example when students are confused," and "improving the learning of a student who is failing." The group-as-a-whole philosophical perspectives focused on "safety" (in the classroom), "parent involvement," "building relationships with students and parents," "student success," and "classroom environment." EC-6 bilingual certification participants' philosophical perspectives primarily focused on "student success" and "instructional strategies." All-level SpEd certification participants focused on "parent involvement" and "classroom environment." EC-6 generalists certification participants' philosophical perspectives focused on "classroom environment," "community of learners," "parent involvement," and "collaboration with other educators." EC-6 ESL certification track participants' philosophical perspectives focused on "parent communication/parent-teacher communication" and "student success." The group-as-a-whole and all certification track epistemological perspectives focused on (a) "monitor and adjust," (b) "know your students," (c) "awareness," (d) "caring" (about your students), and (e) "teacher character traits needed." The one exception was the EC-6 generalists and all-level SpEd certification track participants adding the focus of "teaching strategies/strategies" and "informal assessments" respectively. The findings revealed that the participants' own experiences, past and present teacher models, respected individuals, and enacted course curriculum(s) influenced their teacher self-efficacy, philosophical, and epistemological perspectives. Implications from this study include adding (a) a focus on education laws and policies to the introductory early childhood course to provide a broader understanding about inclusion, (b) more enacted curriculum to include application to theory to encourage research-based/best practices in future classrooms, and (c) using a mind shift from "what is the disability" to "what is the ability" in more wholistic teacher preparation courses versus silo-track teacher preparation courses.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among high school teachers' self-reported social and emotional competencies (SECs), social interaction teaching practices, and instructional interaction teaching practices. Yoder's (2014) research suggests to successfully implement social-emotional learning (SEL) practices, teachers must have strong social and emotional competency skills (Brackett et al., 2009; Jennings and Greenberg, 2009). This study included a quantitative descriptive method to examine the anonymous survey data collected. Additionally, the data were examined for possible correlations between social, and instructional interaction teaching practices to identify areas of strength or weakness and suggest professional learning options for teachers related to their scores. This study sought to answer the following research questions: 1. What is the relationship among high school teachers' self-reported social, and instructional interaction teaching practices that influence students' social, emotional, and academic skills? 2. What is the relationship between educators' self-reported self-efficacy of their social and emotional competence and how it influences their ability to implement social, and instructional interaction teaching practices? 3. What is the relationship between teachers' overall social interaction score and their overall instructional interaction score? 4. What do the scores from the overall social interaction score and the overall instructional interaction score suggest about the professional learning needs of the participating high school teachers? High school teachers in this study who reported a higher self-efficacy in positive social interactions had a higher self-efficacy in social interactions influencing students' social, emotion, and academic skills. High school teachers with a high self-efficacy in Teacher SEC: Social Interaction Teaching Practices strongly correlated to a higher self-efficacy of Teacher SEC: Instructional Interaction Teaching Practices. Furthermore, high school teachers with a higher self-efficacy in their Overall Social Interaction to that of their self-efficacy of their Overall Instructional Interaction also strongly correlated. Conversely, high school teachers who reported higher self-efficacy with instructional interaction did not report the same level of self-efficacy of their social interaction, albeit the finding was deemed small. The study suggests division and school leaders could prioritize supporting teachers' development of their self-efficacy of their social and emotional competence. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among high school teachers' self-reported social and emotional competencies (SECs), social, and instructional interaction teaching practices. The study examined the possible correlations between the self-efficacy of social, and instructional interaction teaching practices to identify areas of strength or weakness and to identify and differentiate the professional learning needs of teachers related to their scores. This study included High School teachers from one school division in Virginia. The high school teachers participated in a pre-published survey from Yoder, 2014a (see Appendix A). The findings suggest teachers with a higher self-efficacy in their SECs were more likely to implement them in their teaching practices. Whereas high school teachers that had a higher self-efficacy in their Instructional Interactions practices did not have a statistically significant higher self-efficacy in their Social Interaction practices. Future actions could include building leaders can provide on-going professional learning to improve the self-efficacy of teachers' SECs and implementation of school-wide practices. Additional implications and future study suggestions are shared.

The research presented in this study investigates the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on teacher self-efficacy with delivering design-based learning to elementary students and identifies what resources and support teachers need to administer online or blended learning delivery of design-based learning with elementary students in the current environment. The population was elementary teachers teaching STEM content and this study included a sample of four elementary STEM teachers teaching in rural and suburban communities. Each participating teacher completed the Teacher Efficacy and Attitudes Toward STEM Survey (T-STEM) (Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, 2012) to reveal their overall self-efficacy with delivering STEM content, followed by participating in a semi-structured interview consisting of queries targeting both research questions. This qualitative analysis revealed a temporary decrease in teachers' self-efficacy at the beginning of the shift to a virtual environment. A lack of student access to resources at home, the teachers' lack of control and support for the student in a synchronous manner, and a change in STEM education as a priority were revealed as contributors to this temporary decrease in the teachers' self-efficacy. To remediate this, teachers reported condensing activities and the Engineering Design Process to accommodate the virtual environment for a traditionally hands-on instructional strategy. Teachers cited fellow educator support, previous coursework, additional time, and access to teacher resources as resources and support that would be beneficial in the current environment. / Doctor of Philosophy / The research presented in this study investigates the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on teacher self-efficacy, or confidence, in using an instructional approach to STEM education with elementary students and identifies what resources and support teachers need to use this instructional strategy online or in blended learning settings, a combination of both online and in-person education. The instructional strategy, design-based learning, allows students to use design-thinking to apply the knowledge they are learning to a construct (Doppelt et al., 2008). This study included a sample of four elementary STEM teachers teaching in rural and suburban communities. Each participating teacher completed the Teacher Efficacy and Attitudes Toward STEM Survey (T-STEM) (Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, 2012) to reveal their overall self-efficacy with delivering STEM content, followed by participating in an interview. Prominent topics, or themes, revealed from the interviews revealed a temporary decrease in the teachers' self-efficacy at the beginning of the shift to a virtual environment at the beginning of the global pandemic. A lack of student access to resources at home, the teachers' lack of control and support for the student in a real-time manner, and a change in STEM education as a priority were revealed as contributors to this temporary decrease in the teachers' self-efficacy. To address this, the teachers reported condensing activities and the Engineering Design Process to accommodate the virtual environment for a traditionally hands-on instructional strategy. Teachers cited fellow educator support, previous coursework, additional time, and access to teacher resources as resources and support that would be beneficial in the current education system.

This study examined the degree of perceived teacher self-efficacy between early childhood preservice teachers and elementary education pre-service teachers. There were 88 participants: 44 elementary education pre-service teachers and 40 early childhood pre-service teachers. Participants were mostly white, female pre-service teachers enrolled at East Tennessee State University. Using Bandura's 30-item "Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale" pre-service teachers rated their perceived self-efficacy on 7 subscales: decision-making, influence on school resources, instructional efficacy, disciplinary efficacy, enlisting parent involvement, enlisting community involvement, and creating a positive school climate. Significant differences were found between groups for 3 of the 7 subscales. Early childhood education pre-service teachers reflected higher levels of efficacy in influencing decision making, t(86)=3.36, p<.001; enlisting parental involvement, t(86)= 2.14, p < .05; and creating a positive school climate, t(86) = 3.01, p < .01. No significant differences between groups were found in overall perceived teacher self-efficacy, t(86)=1.44, n.s.