Bandura’s Triadic Reciprocal Determinism model and teacher self-efficacy scales: a revisit

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to reignite the discussion of the elusive concept of teacher self-efficacy through the lens of Bandura’s social cognitive theory and more specifically the Triadic Reciprocal Determinism model. It examined two commonly used teacher self-efficacy scales that were distributed to 154 Australian preservice teachers. Findings show that unfortunately the current scales do not fully capture the teacher self-efficacy construct; they generally assess one’s personal factors and the impact that they can have on teacher behavior, but very loosely try to capture the impact that the environment can have on one’s personal beliefs. Therefore, the results suggest that a new scale is needed in order to assess the reciprocated effects and understanding of teacher self-efficacy if it is to fully capture the elusive underpinning within the conceptual triadic reciprocal deterministic manner, which it should if it is to be fully understood and applied within the context of teaching.

KEYWORDS:

• Teacher self-efficacy
• social cognitive theory
• Triadic Reciprocal Determinism model
• behavior

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stuart Woodcock

Stuart Woodcock, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. His research examines teacher self-efficacy and inclusive education.

Nelly Tournaki

Nelly Tournaki, PhD, is a Professor at School of Education, College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA. Her research focuses on teacher self-efficacy and special education.