Investigating Psychological Constructs in New Contexts: Understanding and Measuring Teacher Efficacy in Online Classrooms

• In Event: The Teacher’s Perspective: Exploring Professional Development, Teacher Efficacy, and Responsibilities

Abstract

This study focuses on development of an instrument to measure teacher efficacy in online classrooms. Two focus groups were conducted to explore K-12 online teacher beliefs about challenges, capacities, and constraints of teaching online. Compared with traditional efficacy measures, participants placed more emphasis on relationships with family and put less emphasis on classroom management. Items were developed and tested for content validity by current K-12 online teachers and scholars in the field. After revision, another group of K-12 teachers took the survey for the purpose of exploring potential factors. Three factors emerged including teacher/student interaction, responding to individual learners, and instructional design. Surprisingly, technological competence did not emerge as a factor and was lowly rated in terms of importance.

Authors

• Oliver Dreon, Millersville University of Pennsylvania

• John Ward, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

• Sandra A. Deemer, Millersville University