Much attention, both nationally and internationally, has been given to mathematics teaching and student mathematical performance (e.g. No Child Left Behind Act (2001), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1991, 2000) standards, Common Core State Standards Initiative, Trend in International Mathematics and Science Study (2013), and Program of International Student Assessment PISA (2013)). Teachers of mathematics have come under greater scrutiny and demands for student success have been placed upon them. Research has shown that teacher efficacy and mathematics teaching efficacy, forms of self-efficacy beliefs (Bandura, 1977, 1997), can have a positive impact on teaching and learning. Yet, there has been limited research on the mathematics teacher efficacy of preservice elementary teachers (Swars, 2005). This study examined the impact of the student teaching experience on the mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs of preservice elementary teachers. What happens to the level of mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs of preservice teachers during the student teaching experience? What are the characteristics of preservice teachers with low and high levels of efficacy beliefs? What factors from the student teaching experience influenced efficacy beliefs? A qualitative case study (Merriam, 2009) with an embedded survey was used to address the previous questions. The results of this study demonstrate that mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs of preservice teachers rose significantly during the student teaching experience. However, the change was not uniform. Personal mathematics teaching efficacy (PMTE) increased significantly. Although mathematics teaching outcome expectancy (MTOE) increased, it was not significant. Furthermore, the research indicates four characteristics influenced mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs: attitude toward mathematics, use of manipulatives, motivation to teach, and persistence. Four factors appear to impact the development of efficacy beliefs of preservice teachers: prior experiment with mathematics, student teaching experience, relationship with cooperating teacher, and students served by the preservice teachers.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Kristy Archuleta / This study explored the factors that affect the capacity of teachers to teach personal finances in the public and private school systems in Puerto Rico. Three hundred sixteen teachers from grades six to 12 completed the on-line survey that included an assessment of demographic variables, socioeconomic variables, teaching variables and personal finance administration variables. To guide this study, the Personal Finance Education Efficacy Model was created using Social Cognitive Theory. Within this model, three research questions were addressed including what are the determinants of: (a) objective financial knowledge, (b) subjective financial knowledge, and (c) high personal finance teaching efficacy. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to test the determinants of both objective and subjective financial knowledge. Results indicated that both models were significant (ρ < .001), in which the model accounted for 10% of the variance of objective financial knowledge and 44% of the variance of subjective financial knowledge. A hierarchical binary logistic regression analysis was used to test the determinants of high level of personal finance teaching efficacy beliefs. Results showed the model was accurate approximately 83% of the time. Additionally, results from Principal Component Analyses indicated the Spanish translated versions of the Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES), the Financial Self-Efficacy Scale (FSES), and the Personal Finance Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (PFTEBI) demonstrated similar levels of reliability as previously published in the literature. These findings infer that scales may be used in other cultures and be translated into other languages like Spanish. The PFTEBI was created for this study based on the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI) to measure the level of teaching efficacy beliefs of the respondents. PFTEBI was found to be composed of three sub-scales and showed good reliability.

Teacher educators continually strive to find ways to improve the preparation of preservice teacher candidates. In the area of mathematics education, methods courses that follow National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards for professional development have been successful. This study supports the notion that a mathematics methods course can improve mathematics teaching efficacy in the constructs of personal mathematics teaching efficacy (PMTE) and mathematics teaching outcome expectancy (MTOE). Findings also suggest that mathematics teaching efficacy is developmental in its nature with PMTE developing before MTOE. Employing a quasiexperimental nonequivalent comparison groups pre- and posttest design, the present study examined the effects of guided imagery as an added component of a mathematics methods course and found no significant advantageous treatment effects on mathematics teaching efficacy. However, there were no detrimental effects on mathematics content knowledge and pedagogical skills either. Participation in a reform-based mathematics methods course did affect mathematics teaching efficacy for both groups in the study. Mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs were measured by the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI), and data were analyzed by ANCOVA and paired-samples t-tests. Recommendations for further research on the developmental nature of general teacher efficacy and mathematics teaching efficacy are included.

The purpose of this study were (a) to examine the effectiveness of a computer simulation program (Computer Simulation for Teaching Critical Thinking on Gender Equality, CSTCT-GE) on preservice teachers¡¦ improvement in professional knowledge for teaching critical thinking and teaching efficacy for critical thinking; and (b) to examine the effects of gender, educational degree, critical-thinking ability, motivation for professional growth, and level of training involvement on preservice teachers¡¦ increase in professional knowledge and teaching efficacy for critical thinking. A one-group pretest-posttest design was employed in the study. Seventy-two preservice teachers participated in the study. The employed instruments were Computer Simulation for Teaching Critical Thinking on Gender Equality (CSTCT-GE), The Test for Professional Knowledge in Teaching Critical Thinking, The Test for Teaching Efficacy in Critical Thinking, the Test of Critical-thinking Skills for Adults, and The Test of professional growth for Junior High School Teachers. The applied analysis methods were descriptive statistics, Hotelling¡¦s T2, repeated measures of variance, multivariate analysis of covariance, and multiple stepwise regression. The main findings of this study were as follows: 1. CSTCT-GE was effective in improving the preservice teachers¡¦ professional knowledge and teaching efficacy for critical thinking. 2. The preservice teachers¡¦ increase of professional knowledge did not have significant effects on their enhancement of teaching efficacy for critical thinking. 3. There were no significant gender and educational degree effects on the preservice teachers¡¦ improvement of professional knowledge and teaching efficacy for critical thinking. 4. There were no significant critical-thinking ability effects on the preservice teachers¡¦ enhancement of teaching efficacy for critical thinking. 5. There were no significant professional growth motivation on the preservice teachers¡¦ improvement of professional knowledge and teaching efficacy for critical thinking. 6. The preservice teachers¡¦ level of training involvement had positive effects on their increase of professional knowledge for teaching critical-thinking but not on their enhancement of teaching efficacy for critical thinking. 7. The preservice teachers¡¦ level of training involvement could effectively predict their professional knowledge for teaching critical thinking in the posttest. 8. The preservice teachers¡¦ level of professional growth motivation could effectively predict their teaching efficacy for critical thinking in both the pretest and the posttest. Finally, the researcher proposed some suggestions for educational organizations, preservice teachers, inservice teachers, and future studies.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether transformational leadership behaviors were significantly related to the variables of teaching efficacy, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment as perceived by special education teachers. One hundred twenty-one special education teachers from region seven of the Commonwealth of Virginia completed surveys for this study. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that administrative support was the transformational leadership behavior most frequently recognized by participants of this study. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that administrative support was significantly related to the factors of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. However, administrative support was not significantly related to teachers' sense of teaching efficacy. Teaching efficacy did share a significant relationship with teachers' job satisfaction. This finding suggests that the higher teachers report their perceived their sense of teaching efficacy, the higher they report their level of job satisfaction. The highest correlation in this study was between the factors of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. These findings suggest that as special education teachers' perceptions of administrative support increases, so do their levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment; thereby increasing the likelihood that special education teachers will remain in their current teaching positions. / Ph. D.

This study intended to explore preservice elementary teachers&rsquo / science knowledge level, attitude toward science teaching and their efficacy beliefs regarding science teaching. In addition, the contribution of science knowledge level and attitudes toward science teaching on Turkish preservice elementary teachers&rsquo / efficacy beliefs was investigated. The present study was conducted at the end of the spring semester of 2003- 2004 academic year with a total number of 750 (n=531 females / n=216 males / and n=3 gender not provided) fourth-year preservice elementary teachers who enrolled at elementary teacher education programs of nine different universities in Turkey. Data were collected utilizing three questionnaires: the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) developed by Riggs and Enochs (1990), Science Achievement Test, and Science Teaching Attitude Scale developed by Thompson and Shrigley (1986). Data of the present study were analyzed utilizing descriptive and inferential statistics. Analysis of the self-efficacy survey indicated that preservice elementary teachers had moderate sense of self-efficacy beliefs regarding science teaching on both Personal Science Teaching Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy dimensions of the STEBI-B. Also, preservice elementary teachers indicated low level of science knowledge and generally positive attitude toward science teaching. Furthermore, science knowledge level and attitude towards science teaching made a statistically significant contribution to the variation in preservice elementary teachers&rsquo / personal science teaching efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancy.

Effective leadership has a positive impact upon schools and student achievement. Teacher inclusion in leadership efforts has grown during a time of school reform. In order to sustain and define teacher leader responsibilities, efficacious teachers need to be supported by school and district administrators. A case study was used to understand the dynamics of self-efficacy as it pertains to teacher leaders in the Oak Ridge School District in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Purposive sampling was used to select 5 teacher leaders and 2 district administrators for the case study. Interviews along with observations of meetings facilitated by teacher leaders allowed for inductive analysis of the phenomenon of self-efficacy for teachers in formal leadership roles. Self-efficacy of teacher leaders can be nurtured through various structures, climates, and learning opportunities. School districts can purposefully design teacher leadership opportunities with a clearly defined vision for all stakeholders. The findings of the study support and extend the literature on the sources of self-efficacy. Attention to the sources of efficacy for teacher leaders could help administrators plan successful leadership opportunities and assists in retention for teacher leadership roles.

Through the development and implementation of modified learning contexts, the current study encouraged undergraduate teacher education students to modify their approaches to learning by reducing their reliance on surface approaches and progressively adopting deeper approaches. This outcome was considered desirable because students who employed deep approaches would exit the course having achieved higher quality learning than those who relied primarily on surface approaches. It was expected that higher quality learning in a preservice teacher education program would also translate into greater self-confidence in the management of teaching tasks, leading to improvements in students� teaching self-efficacy beliefs. Altered learning contexts were developed through the application of action research methodology involving core members of the teaching team. Learning activities were designed with a focus on co-operative small-group problem-based learning, which included multiple subtasks requiring variable outcome presentation modes. Linked individual reflection was encouraged by personal learning journals and learning portfolios. Students also provided critical analyses of their own learning during the completion of tasks, from both individual and group perspectives. Assessment methods included lecturer, peer and self-assessment, depending on the nature of the learning task. Often these were integrated, so that subtasks within larger ones were assessed using combinations of methods. Learning approach theorists (Biggs, 1993a, 1999; Entwistle, 1986, 1998; Prosser & Trigwell, 1999; Ramsden, 1992, 1997) contend that learning outcomes are directly related to the learning approaches used in their development. They further contend that the approach adopted is largely a result of students� intent, which in turn, is influenced by their perception of the learning context. The present study therefore aimed to develop an integrated and pervasive course-based learning context, constructively aligned (after: Biggs, 1993a, 1996), achievable within the normal constraints of a university program, that would influence students� adoption of deep learning approaches. The cognitive processes students used in response to the altered contexts were interpreted in accordance with self-regulatory internal logic (after: Bandura, 1986, 1991b; Zimmerman, 1989, 1998b). Longitudinal quasi-experimental methods with repeated measures on non-equivalent dependent variables were applied to three cohorts of students. Cohort 1 represented the contrast group who followed a traditional program. Cohort 2 was the main treatment group to whom the modified program was presented. Cohort 3 represented a comparison group that was also presented with the modified program over a shorter period. Student data on learning approach, teaching efficacy and academic attributions were gathered from repeated administrations of the Study Process Questionnaire (Biggs, 1987b), Teacher Efficacy Scale (Gibson & Dembo, 1984) and Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scale (Lefcourt, 1991). In addition, reflective journals, field observations and transcripts of interviews undertaken at the beginning and conclusion of the course, were used to clarify students� approaches to learning and their responses to program modifications. Analyses of learning approaches adopted by Cohorts 1 and 2 revealed that they both began their course predominantly using surface approaches. While students in Cohort 1 completed the course with approximately equal reliance on deep and surface approaches, students in Cohort 2 reported a predominant use of deep approaches on course completion. The relative impact of the modified learning context on students with differing approaches to learning in this cohort were further explained through qualitative data and cluster analyses. The partial replication of the study with Cohort 3, across the first three semesters of their program, produced similar effects to those obtained with Cohort 2. The analyses conducted with teaching efficacy data indicated a similar pattern of development for all cohorts. Little change in either personal or general dimensions was noted in the first half of the program, followed by strong growth in both, in the latter half. While a relationship between learning approach usage and teaching efficacy was not apparent in Cohort 1, developmental path and mediation analyses indicated that the use of deep learning approaches considerably influenced the development of personal teaching efficacy in Cohort 2. The current research suggests that value lies in the construction of learning environments, in teacher education, that enhance students� adoption of deep learning approaches. The nature of the task is complex, multifaceted and context specific, most likely requiring the development of unique solutions in each environment. Nevertheless, this research demonstrates that such solutions can be developed and applied within the prevailing constraints of pre-existing course structures.

The National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) and Science for all Americans (AAAS, 1989) explicitly state that all students regardless of their age, cultural or ethnic backgrounds, gender, abilities, aspirations, or interest in science should have access to equitable educational resources in science. These equitable resources also include access to efficacious teachers of all students. However, the Standards fail to explicate what practices, if any, lead to the development of these teachers. The primary purpose of this study was to identify teacher education practices that positively influenced preservice elementary teachers' self-efficacy beliefs about equitable science teaching and learning. More specifically, this research study explored the effects of community-based service-learning on the self-efficacy and pedagogical beliefs of preservice elementary teachers regarding equitable science teaching and learning.This study utilized a mixed-methods research design. Data were collected from 67 participants registered in three elementary science methods courses. One of the science methods courses had an embedded service-learning component. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were used to analyze teacher beliefs, attitudes, and sources of self-efficacy. A quasi-experimental design was used to quantitatively measure changes in science teacher efficacy beliefs in regard to equitable science teaching and learning. Changes in participants' scores were analyzed using two 3 x 2 Factorial Repeated-Measures ANOVAs. The results of this study support the value of preservice teachers engaging in community-based service-learning experiences as a way to improve their self-efficacy beliefs and pedagogical beliefs regarding equitable science teaching and learning.

Research over the last three decades has documented that teacher efficacy has an effect on student achievement (Armor et al., 1976; Bandura, 1997). The literature on culturally responsive teaching (CRT) recognizes teacher efficacy as one of the attributes of successful teachers of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds (Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1994). Researchers (e.g., Goddard & Goddard, 2001) have also found that collective teacher efficacy (CTE) beliefs can affect teachers’ goal setting, motivation, and persistence with challenging tasks or situations; specifically, the CTE construct not only explains school-level effects on achievement, but also explains effects on individual teachers’ self-efficacy. When CLD students require special education services, their instruction must be equally responsive to their cultural and linguistic characteristics in addition to their educational needs based on the disability (García & Ortiz, 2004; McCray & García, 2002). Consequently, CRT practices are central to improve these students’ learning outcomes (Gay, 2000). The purpose of this descriptive, correlational survey research study was to investigate (a) the relationship between special education teachers’ collective teacher efficacy beliefs and CRT efficacy for teaching CLD students in special education; and (b) the influences of personal and professional background variables on participating teachers’ CRT efficacy beliefs. The survey was sent to 855 special education teachers of CLD students with disabilities in three urban school districts in Texas; 344 complete responses were received, yielding a 44% response rate. The survey consisted of four sections: Background Information, Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE), Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (CRTSE), and Culturally Responsive Teaching Outcome-Expectancy Scale (CRTOE). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple regression. The results revealed statistically significant relationships (a) between CRTSE and CRTOE beliefs, with a positive and moderate association; and (b) between CTE and CRT efficacy beliefs (CRTSE as well as CRTOE), but the associations were positive and weak. Teachers’ language characteristics, instructional setting, certification in bilingual education/English as a second language, and their perceptions of the quality of their professional preparation emerged as significant influences on their CRTSE and CRTOE beliefs. Implications for teacher education and future research are presented. / text