The effect of teacher self-efficacy in behaviour management on classroom behavioural climate: a longitudinal multilevel cross-lagged analysis

Abstract

Teacher self-efficacy (TSE) is assumed to affect classroom environment, although empirical evidence for this assumption is still elusive. This study examines the relationship between TSE in behaviour management and classroom behavioural climate using a two-level cross-lagged model. TSE in behaviour management was assessed with six-item subscale of the TSE for Inclusive Practices scale while classroom behavioural climate was assessed with a 17-item scale measuring overall behavioural climate in the classroom. The longitudinal questionnaire data comprises responses from 1110 students and 75 class teachers who had not taught the target classes when the pre-assessment was conducted. At the time of post-assessment, the teachers had taught the target classes for a few months. This design may detect associations between TSE and classroom behavioural climate more sensitively than cross-lagged models were the main variables correlate already at the pre-assessment. Based on the analysis TSE in behaviour management significantly affected classroom behavioural climate, but not vice versa, when controlling the effect of several teacher characteristics and class-composition variables. This indicates that a connection between TSE and classroom behavioural climate seems to indeed exist.

Keywords:

• Teacher self-efficacy
• student behaviour
• classroom behavioural climate
• longitudinal data

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to M.Sc. (statistics) Ville Vauhkonen and M.Sc. (statistics) Elisa Korhonen for their invaluable work in data management. The authors would like to express their gratitude for the financial support received from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture Grant [number 35/529/2012] through which the ProKoulu project was funded. Malinen is also grateful for the financial support provided by a Postdoctoral Research Grant from the Academy of Finland Grant [number 274483]. The funding sources had no involvement in the study design, in the analysis or interpretation of data, in the writing process or in the decision to submit the article for publication.

Authors’ contributions

Malinen: Conceptualisation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Visualisation, Roles/Writing - original draft, Writing – review & editing.

Närhi: Conceptualisation, Methodology, Validation, Roles/Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

Savolainen: Formal analysis, Methodology, Funding acquisition, Project administration, Writing – review & editing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to express their gratitude for the financial support received from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture Grant [number 35/529/2012] through which the ProKoulu project was funded. Malinen is also grateful for the financial support provided by a Postdoctoral Research Grant from the Academy of Finland Grant [number 274483]. The funding sources had no involvement in the study design, in the analysis or interpretation of data, in the writing process or in the decision to submit the article for publication.