Investigating Teacher Efficacy: Comparing Preservice and Inservice Teachers with Different Levels of Experience

Abstract

Teacher efficacy represents a powerful influence on the behaviors of teachers due to its impact on instructional choice, effort, and persistence. Yet few studies have been conducted examining differences in efficacy among groups of teachers with varying levels of experience, including those still engaged in teacher preparation programs. This study was conducted to examine such differences through a comparison of teacher efficacy among groups of preservice and inservice teachers with various levels of experience using the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale. The results demonstrated that experienced teachers held the highest general teaching efficacy as well as the highest efficacy with regards to domain-specific areas such as student engagement and classroom management. No statistically significant differences were noted among preservice teachers and novice teachers.