Date of Award

Spring 4-7-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Dr. Kathy Grover

Second Advisor

Dr. Brian Wilson

Third Advisor

Dr. Robyn Gordon

Abstract

Teacher preparation plays an integral role in the success of American education, and many programs are not adequately preparing teachers for the classroom (Guha, Hyler, & Darling-Hammond, 2017b; National Council on Teacher Quality [NCTQ], 2018). The purpose of this study was to better understand preservice teacher self-efficacy development and perceptions of teacher education program effectiveness for program improvement. Bandura’s (1977) theory of self-efficacy guided this study. Tschannen- Moran and Hoy’s (2001) Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale was distributed three times throughout the fall 2019 semester to preservice teachers completing their student teaching practicum to detect changes in self-efficacy levels. Perceptual data on the impact of Bandura’s (1977) sources of self-efficacy was gathered with The Sources of Preservice Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale. Preservice teachers were also interviewed on perceptions of self-efficacy belief sources, helpful aspects of teacher education, and challenging aspects of teacher education. No significant differences were found in preservice teachers’ selfefficacy levels; however, their sense of self-efficacy was consistently high. Vicarious experiences were found to be the most potent source of self-efficacy for preservice teachers. While verbal persuasion and mastery experiences also had considerably affected efficacy beliefs, emotional and physiological states had a much lower influence. The impact of the professional support system and practical relevance of coursework were perceived to be the most helpful aspects of teacher education. Challenging aspects of teacher education included a lack of relevance or practical application of coursework and a disconnect in the professional support system.

Rights

Copyright 2020

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