Excavating Future Educators' Stereotypes and Self-Efficacy for Teaching Rural Students

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Creating Possibilities: Teacher Preparation for Rural Places (Table 39)

Abstract

This study explored how perceptions of students and teaching motivation were influenced by school location. Using an experimental design, undergraduate students enrolled in an educational psychology course (N = 443) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: stated rural, stated suburban, or implied rural. School location was found to significantly influence participant’s beliefs regarding student ethnicity, socioeconomic status, future academic success, and academic motivations. Teaching self-efficacy and job selection were significantly lower for the stated rural condition. The strength of the relationship between stated location and self-efficacy was moderated by participant mindset but not number of years’ experience in a rural setting. These findings reveal stereotypes about students from rural areas that remain a barrier to supporting rural education.

Authors

• Shannon Clark, University of Georgia

• Michael M. Barger, University of Georgia