Reconceptualizing Teacher Self-Efficacy: A Longitudinal Study Finding Students at the Heart of Teachers’ Work

• In Event: Sustaining an Ethic of Care: The Primacy of Teacher Relationship

Abstract

This paper will present qualitative interview data from the third year of a longitudinal study on teacher self-efficacy. We found that a bidirectional relationship between students and teachers, or teacher-student bond (TSB), is at the heart of the work that teachers do. When there is a match between teachers’ internal beliefs and their teaching contexts, teachers tend to stay in the same schools and expand their work within them. Ultimately, we saw that teachers shifted their priorities to better suit the relational aspects of teaching. The nature of the shift hinged on teacher beliefs about TSB and their perceived match with the learning environment. When these things were strong, teachers spoke confidently about what they would accomplish moving forward.

Authors

• Jill Ordynans, Touro University

• Steven Eisenberger, Touro University

• Joshua Hopkinson, Touro University