What Is More Important in Predicting Instructional Quality and Commitments to Teaching: Self-Efficacy, General Pedagogical Knowledge, or an Integration of the Two?

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Examining Relationships Between Teacher Knowledge, Practice, and Self-Efficacy (Table 17)

Abstract

The main goal of the paper is to identify different types of in-service teachers based on their general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) and self-efficacy beliefs and to explore potential differences among these types regarding their instructional quality and commitments to teaching. A group of 161 Estonian in-service subject teachers (science, mathematics, or mother tongue) from lower secondary schools were included in the study. Based on the cluster analysis, three groups of in-service teachers were identified: (a) teachers with average self-efficacy and very low GPK – 18%, (b) teachers with high self-efficacy and GPK – 39% and (c) teachers with low self-efficacy and average GPK – 43%. These three types of teachers were different in terms of instructional quality and commitments to teaching.

Authors

• Äli Leijen, University of Tartu

• Margus Pedaste, University of Tartu

• Liina Malva, The University of Tartu

• Aleksandar Baucal, University of Belgrade

• Katrin Poom-Valickis