Influence of Culture and Education on U. S. and Taiwan Preservice Teachers' Efficacy Beliefs

Abstract

Preservice teachers (N = 240) at the beginning and ending points of their teacher-education programs in Taiwan and 231 comparable U.S. preservice teachers completed a revised version of the S. Gibson and M. H. Dembo (1984) Teacher Efficacy Scale. Analyses indicated that the preservice teachers in these 2 countries may have conceptually different expectations of teaching (e.g., parental support, social awareness, individual effort). However, efficacy beliefs of preservice teachers in these 2 countries showed a similar pattern regarding the teachers' ability to adjust their teaching methods to meet the needs of individual children. Results suggest that in both countries, preservice teachers' efficacy beliefs may be influenced by the context of their academic programs, by their increasing competence and experience as teachers, and by cultural perspectives.

Key Words:

• cultural and educational experiences
• efficacy beliefs
• U.S. and Taiwanese teachers