The effect of teacher self-efficacy on learning engagement of secondary school students

Abstract

Less engagement in learning among students’ becomes an obstacle to their academic journey, which teacher self-efficacy can influence. This study examined the level and linkages between students’ engagement and teacher self-efficacy using data from 714 selected secondary school teachers in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Descriptive and correlational survey designs were employed to determine the status and associations among study variables. CFA was used to ensure the validity of the instruments: student engagement and teacher self-efficacy scales. The data was analyzed using mean, standard deviations, one sample t-test, Pearson correlation, and multiple regressions. The study revealed that students’ behavioral and cognitive engagement were significantly below average, while teachers had significantly above-average self-efficacy in engaging students, managing classrooms, and using various instructional strategies. Nonetheless, a change in student engagement was significantly associated with teacher self-efficacy. The regression analysis disclosed that teacher self-efficacy accounted for 19.4% of the variance in student engagement. The study’s conclusions have implications for teacher efficacy, which is important in enhancing student engagement. Besides, diverse context-specific studies are required to ensure the stability of the study findings.

Keywords:

• Student engagement
• teacher self-efficacy
• behavioral engagement
• emotional engagement
• cognitive engagement

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Lawrence Jun Zhang, Curriculum and Pedagogy, University of Auckland Faculty of Education and Social Work, Auckland, New Zealand

SUBJECTS:

• Educational Psychology
• Secondary Education
• Teachers and Teacher Education
• Classroom Practice

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their truthful thanks to the study participants for their consent and dedication of their time in providing data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The raw data supporting the conclusion of this article will be made available by the authors without undue reservation.

Author contributions

EE: the corresponding author ensured the quality of the data and worked on the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data.

MG: ensured the data quality, supervised the study, proofread and edited the final paper for publication.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Eshetu Kibret Emiru

Eshetu Kibret Emiru, MA, is a PhD student in Education Policy and Leadership at Bahir Dar University. He has been involved in higher education teaching, research, and community service. He has served as a teacher and educator for the last nine years. His research interests involve policy, leadership, teaching and learning, etc.

Mateb Tafere Gedifew

Mateb Tafere Gedifew is an associate professor of education policy and leadership at Bahir Dar University. He has published several articles in the areas of educational leadership, policy, and higher education. He has been teaching courses at the Masters and PhD levels. He also served as dean of the college, executive director and vice president of Bahir Dar University, head of the Amhara Regional State Leadership Academy, and education bureau. His major areas of research comprise higher education, instructional leadership, policy, organizational development, etc.