Towards a comprehensive conceptualisation of teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs

ABSTRACT

This article addresses a perceived need for a more comprehensive model of teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, that is, teachers’ beliefs about their personal abilities to perform specific tasks related to teaching and learning within specific teaching contexts. It starts with an analysis of current representations, and how they encourage further explorations in the field. Next, it draws on Dewey’s theory of inquiry, insights from research on self-efficacy beliefs and doubts, and teacher cognition to propose a new conceptual model of the dynamics of teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in relation to the development of teacher knowledge. The article concludes with implications for research and teacher education.

KEYWORDS:

• Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs
• teacher cognition
• teacher education
• professional development
• theory of inquiry

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. In this article, I use the term ‘teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs’ following Delinger, Bobbett and Ellett’s clarification (2008). Throughout the international research literature, ‘teacher efficacy’ has been used synonymously, which has led to a great deal of confusion (cf. Dellinger et al., 2008; Wyatt, 2014 for a detailed discussion).

2. Practical knowledge is a function of teachers’ responses to teaching situations, and includes knowledge of self, of the milieu of teaching, of subject matter, of curriculum development, and of instruction (Elbaz, 1983).

3. PCK represents a teacher’s understanding of how particular content can be organised, represented and adapted to the diverse needs of learners, and presented for instruction (Shulman, 1987, p. 8).