From “Maybe I Can” to “Yes I Can”: Developing Preservice and In-Service Teachers’ Self-Efficacy to Teach African American Students

• In Event: Teacher Education and the Black Community: Preparing Teachers to Teach Black Students, Preparing Black Students to Become Teachers

Abstract

As evidenced by the numerous reports written by government and educational agencies, and recent empirical studies, teacher attrition rates has become a significant international concern among educational administrators (Ingersoll, 2003). Research findings suggest that attrition is highest in schools with a high percentage of low income, low poverty, and minority students (Kersaint et al., 2007). Consequently, school administrators are in a constant search for teachers to fill the vacancies caused by those who leave the profession. While urban schools are relatively successful in hiring new teachers, many of the new hires are often unprepared, inexperienced and in the early stages of their teaching careers (Chizhik, 2003). Like their predecessors, after being assigned to teach in America’s most challenging schools, many of these newly hired teachers leave the profession within three to five years (McKinney et al., 2006).
Educational researchers have noted that the high attrition rate in urban schools may be a result of teacher preparation programs’ inadequate preparation of teachers for diverse classrooms (Dill & Stafford-Johnson, 2003; McKinney et al., 2008). Since 28% of the students enrolled in urban schools are African Americans, researchers have begun examining ways that teacher education can better prepare preservice and inservice teachers to deliver high quality instruction to African American students. Researchers believe that preparing teachers to teach African American students involves transforming teachers’ multicultural attitudes (e.g., Gay, 2000), increasing their culturally diverse knowledge base (e.g., Gay, 2002), and helping them develop the skills needed to effectively teach African American students (Milner, 2009). While these steps will go a long way in increasing teachers' knowledge, this acquisition of pedagogy-specific knowledge and skills are inadequate predictors of teacher's classroom behavior (Pajares, 1996). According to Bandura (1977), knowledge and action are mediated by a person’s belief in their capabilities (i.e., self-efficacy) to put the acquired skills to use. In his program of research, Bandura found that self-efficacy beliefs are powerful predictors of future behavior.
In this paper, our aim is to identify self-efficacy building activities that practitioners can use in the preparation of teachers who are efficacious in their ability to teach African American students. First, we summarize the discussion regarding the preparation of teachers of African American students. Next, we discuss the defining characteristics of self-efficacy beliefs and examine why it is important that teacher educators prepare teachers who are efficacious in their ability to teach African American students. Third, we describe the factors that influence the formation of self-efficacy beliefs. We conclude the chapter by describing some specific self-efficacy building activities that can be used in the preparation and training of teachers of African American students. The general principle underlying these suggested activities is that preparing teachers should entail fostering the development of competence and confidence. Becoming an effective teacher of African American students requires both the acquisition of related skills and the self-efficacy beliefs to put those skills to use. Practitioners are encouraged to explore ways in which these and similar activities can be incorporated into all facets of teacher education.

Author

• Kamau Oginga Siwatu, Texas Tech University