Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the present state of the sense of teacher efficacy in public kindergarten teachers as it relates to their background and subjective perception variables. The aim of this study was (1) to understand the condition of the sense of teacher efficacy in public kindergarten teachers, (2) to investigate the differences in teachers¡¦ sense of efficacy among public kindergarten teachers with diverse background variables (the teachers¡¦ attribute and schools¡¦ attribute variables), (3) to analyze the relationships between the subjective perception variables (the job characteristics perception and the social evaluation perception variables) and the teachers¡¦ efficacy sense, (4) to explore the predictive power of the diverse background variables and subjective perception variables for the teacher efficacy sense, (5) to compare the attitudes toward children, instruction and work between high and low sense of teacher efficacy, (6) based on the results of this study, the researcher proposed several suggestions for improving the sense of teacher efficacy in kindergarten teachers. This study adopted both questionnaire survey and interview methods. The participant¡¦s questionnaire survey included 354 public kindergarten teachers in Taiwan. The instruments employed were The Scale of Kindergarten Teachers¡¦ Efficacy, The Scale of Job Characteristics Perception, and The Scale of Social Evaluation Perception. The quantitative data obtained were analyzed by Descriptive Statistics, t-test, Hotelling¡¦s T2, One-Way MANOVA, Product-moment Correlation, Canonical Correlation Analysis and Stepwise multiple regression analysis. The participants in the interview for understanding the different attitudes toward children, instruction and work between high and low sense of teacher efficacy were 10 high and low efficacy sense teachers. Major findings of this study are summarized as follows: 1. The public kindergarten teachers possessed higher teachers¡¦ efficacy sense. 2. There were significant differences in the teachers¡¦ efficacy sense of the public kindergarten teachers with the diverse teachers¡¦ attribute variables. 3. There were relationships between the subjective perception variables (the job characteristics perception and the social evaluation perception variables) and the teachers¡¦ efficacy sense. 4. There were significant differences in the teachers¡¦ efficacy sense of the public kindergarten teachers with the diverse job characteristics perception and the social evaluation perception variables. 5. Number of working years, diploma and class grade background variables, skill variety, task importance, task autonomy, task feedback of the job characteristic perception variables, and the social evaluation perception variables could predict the sense of teacher efficacy of the kindergarten teachers. 6. There were differences in opinions and attitudes toward children, instruction and work between high and low sense of teacher efficacy. Finally, according to the results and conclusions of this study, the researcher proposed several suggestions to the kindergarten teachers, the kindergartens, the teacher education institutes, the educational administration institutions, and for future study.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:46:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissFDTS.pdf: 3954092 bytes, checksum: a7d3c33070e69f75ad31211d9583e87d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004-08-30 / The objective of this study was to implement and evaluate the effects of a workshop for English language teachers in how to plan teaching strategies based on a functional analysis of the student s performance. An underlying supposition was that teaching centered on student needs could result in academic and social inclusion for students as a by product of learning achievement. The workshop was taught in two modules, the first to supply a conceptual base on learning differences and special educational needs and the second to supply a conceptual base and teach functional analysis skills. The researcher made a functional analysis of the data from observation of classes taught by participants before the workshop. The analysis focused on the repeated errors made by students, the conditions which may have produced their occurrence and possible alternatives to change these conditions. In some cases, changes were implemented and their effect was successful in students overcoming errors. Participants were seven teachers in a private English language school. Two instruments to evaluate sense of efficacy as a teacher (TES) and sense of responsibility for student achievement (RSA), were applied before and after the second workshop module. Interviews with the teachers were conducted one year after the conclusion of the workshop. The results of the standard instruments showed that teachers presented intermediate or elevated levels of sense of teacher efficacy and responsibility for student achievement at the beginning of the study, most probably due to the established standards and constant supervision of their teaching. Significant change was not observed in the final scores at the end of the workshop. In accordance with the interviews, two participants related improvement in performance for students who presented learning difficulties, as a result of using new teaching strategies based on a functional analysis of student performance. The limitations of the workshop are discussed, particularly in terms of its brief duration and the necessity for a longer period for teaching practice, to maximize the effects on teacher practice. The necessity for evaluation instruments which focus more directly on the skills targeted by the training were also discussed. / O estudo teve como objetivo implementar e avaliar os efeitos de uma oficina, conduzida com professores de língua inglesa, visando habilitá-los a fazer planejamento de ensino com base em uma análise funcional do desempenho do aluno. A suposição subjacente era a de que o ensino centrado nas necessidades do aluno pode resultar em inclusão social e acadêmica, como decorrência do sucesso na aprendizagem. A oficina foi ministrada em dois módulos, um para fornecer bases conceituais sobre diferenças e necessidades especiais de ensino e outro para fornecer bases conceituais e instalar habilidades em análise funcional. A análise funcional foi conduzida a partir de dados de observação de aulas dos participantes, realizada pela pesquisadora, antes do início da oficina. A análise focalizou erros cometidos repetidamente pelos alunos, as condições que poderiam estar promovendo sua ocorrência e o levantamento de alternativas para alterar essas condições. Em alguns casos, foram implementadas mudanças e verificados os seus efeitos na superação dos erros. Participaram da oficina sete professores de uma escola privada de ensino de inglês. Antes e depois do segundo módulo de ensino, foram aplicados dois instrumentos para avaliar o Senso de Eficácia como Professor (TES) e o senso de Responsabilidade pelo desempenho do aluno (RSA). Além disso, os professores foram entrevistados um ano após a conclusão da oficina. Os resultados dos dois instrumentos padronizados mostraram que no início do estudo os professores apresentavam níveis intermediários ou elevados de senso de eficácia e senso de responsabilidade pelo desempenho do aluno, provavelmente em função das exigências e do monitoramento da eficácia do ensino que ministravam. Não foram observadas mudanças significativas nos escores ao final da oficina. De acordo com as entrevistas, dois dos participantes relataram melhoras no desempenho de alunos que apresentavam dificuldades de aprendizagem, como resultado da análise funcional e do emprego de novas estratégias de ensino. Foram discutidos os limites da oficina, especialmente a curta duração e a necessidade de expandir o trabalho prático, para maximizar os efeitos sobre a prática do professor. Discutiu-se, também, a necessidade de instrumentos de avaliação que focalizem mais diretamente as habilidades que foram alvo do treinamento.