Table of Contents
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate the sense of teacher efficacy between male and female teachers of secondary schools of Wah Cantt., Pakistan. Teacher efficacy is a simple idea with significant implications. The teacher’s efficacy belief is a judgment of their capabilities to bring about desired outcomes of student engagement and learning, even among those students who may be difficult or unmotivated. The objective of the study was to investigate the sense of efficacy between male and female teachers. The study reflects that male and female teachers are efficacious and able to help the students
in their learning.
Read More: To investigate teacher efficacy between secondary school teachers
Introduction of Teacher Efficacy
The teacher should practice what he or she preaches. People are influenced only when a man/woman presents himself/herself as a model of their preaching. Words devoid of action fall flat and bring ridicule to the teacher (Khan, 1976)……….
Read Also: Self-efficacy Role in Academics
Impact of Self-efficacy Belief
If students’ self-efficacy beliefs influence their ability to perform academically, it is no surprise that teacher-efficacy beliefs should also influence their work. However, the impact of teacher-efficacy extends beyond their own work to their students’ performance, making teacher-efficacy a rich venue for study. Teachers’ efficacy beliefs are a self-assessment of their capacity to bring about student engagement and learning. They influence how much effort they will put forth, how long they will persist in the face of difficulties, how resilient they are in demanding situations and how much stress or depression they experience. Those with higher efficacy show greater persistence and resilience with lower levels of stress and depression (Bandura, 1986; Ware and Kitsantas, 2007).
Importance of Teacher Efficacy
Chase, Germundsen and Brownstein (2001) explained the importance of teacher efficacy as teachers with a high sense of efficacy communicate high expectations for performance to students, put greater emphasis on instructions and learning with students are aware of student’s accomplishments are less likely to give up on low-achieving students and are more likely to work harder on their behalf. Additionally, teachers with high efficacy are more open to implementing and experimenting with new teaching strategies because they do not view change as an affront to their own abilities as teachers. In contrast, teachers with low efficacy tend to doubt that any amount of effort by teachers or school in general, will affect achievement of low-performing students. In sum, high teacher efficacy creates
direct and predictable links to increased student achievement, especially for lowperforming students.
What Should a Teacher Know and Do?
According to Kohll (1992) it implies that the teacher has knowledge and understanding about the academic aspect. The teacher should:
(i) have competence in his subjects of teaching and their contribution to the over all education of the child.
(ii) appreciate and understand the changing needs of the society in a scientific age
(iii) understand the psychological bases of education and the factors, which influence education.
Constraining and Guiding Influence: Student’s Inherent Qualities
Inherent qualities of the pupil do act as a constraining influence on the teacher. The pupil constraints are not only the obvious ones of intelligence and personality, but also refer to characteristics inculcated by parents. Children are profoundly influenced by what happens in the home and the teacher has very little power to influence in this area. What time children go to bed, how much and what type of language occurs in the home, how mother, father and siblings relate to one another, the emotional atmosphere of the home, the underlying definition of human nature which predominates, family expectations, the degree of parental harmony and coherence, all these factors profoundly effect the sort of child the teacher is coping with (Honey Ford, 1982).
Factors Affecting Teacher Efficacy
There are a number of factors that influence teacher efficacy. Pajares (1996) determined that three of the factors affecting a teacher’s self-efficacy………
Research Methodology
Sample of the Study
Research Instrument
To measure teacher efficacy, data was collected through 27 items questionnaire which was constructed and discussed with experts in concerned areas. It was improved in the light of their suggestion. Questionnaire was developed only for teachers.
Data Analysis
One-dimensional chi square was applied for data analysis. One-dimensional chi square can be used to compare frequencies occurring in different categories or the categories may be groups, so that the chi square is comparing groups with respect to the frequency of occurrence of different events (Gay, 2000). The data was analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
Discussion
The purpose of the study was to investigate the sense of efficacy between male and female teachers of secondary schools of Wah Cantt. Gibson and Dembo (1984) conducted a study on teacher efficacy. He found the relationship between teacher-efficacy ratings and observable teacher actions indicate highly efficacious teachers do not shy away from students who are struggling with challenging coursework but develop novel ways of dealing with the complicated situation……..
Conclusion
Based on findings, following conclusions were drawn:
- The teachers think that they can successfully teach even the most difficult topics. Similarly when they try really hard, they are able to teach even the most difficult students. The teachers feel confidence while teaching weak students. The teachers can alter their own teaching behavior to help the weakest students in their class. When a student is having difficulty with an assignment, teachers were usually able to adjust them to their level. The teachers have enough training to deal with students’ learning problems. The teachers have adequate skills and motivation to teach the most difficult students.
References
Airasian, P. W. (1994). Classroom Assessment. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., (Chapter
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Ashton, P. (1985). Motivation and the Teacher’s Sense of Efficacy. Inc., Ames and R.
Ames (Eds.), Research on Motivation in Education, Vol. II: The Classroom
Milieu. Orlando, FL: Academic Press. 1985. Retrieved 27 June, 2009 from
http://www.amazon.com.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215.
Bandura, A. (1982). Self-Efficacy Mechanism in Human Agency. American Psychologist, 37, 122-147.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Retrieved 21 June, 2009 from http:// www.amazon.com.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. Retrieved 29 June, 2009 from http://www.amazon.com.
