Comparison of self-efficacy between male and female pre-service early childhood teachers

Abstract

Teaching in early childhood classrooms is a female-dominated job all over the world. The aim of this study is to compare male and female pre-service early childhood teachers' sense of self-efficacy. The study sample of 451 pre-service teachers consisted of 231 female and 220 males. The Turkish-language version of the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TTSES) was used for data collection. The results indicate a significant difference between the male and female respondents' overall sense of self-efficacy, as well as their sense of self-efficacy relating to the specific area of classroom management. However, no significant differences were found in males' and females' sense of self-efficacy with regard to student engagement or instructional strategies.

Keywords:

• male pre-service early childhood teachers
• female pre-service early childhood teachers
• self-efficacy

Notes on contributor

Ramazan Sak is working as an assistant professor of Early Childhood Education at Yüzüncü Yıl University, Van, Turkey. He has worked as a preschool teacher for four years and a research assistant for six years. His research areas are child-centred education, men in early childhood education, school readiness, and parent involvement in ECE. He has credited with many presentations and publications.