Date

4-7-2023

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Hoiwah Benny Fong

Keywords

teachers, school climate, self-efficacy, social cognitive theory, ecological systems theory

Disciplines

Education | Educational Leadership

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, predictive correlational study is to determine if school climate (SC) factors can accurately predict teachers' self-efficacy (TSE) in Oregon public schools. Using social cognitive theory and ecological systems theory as theoretical frameworks for this study, the importance of this research includes, adding Oregon data to the body of knowledge, narrowing the research gap, and a better understanding of SC and TSE that may be applied to improving a school’s climate, school planning, increasing TSE, and retaining teachers. The sample for this study were Oregon public school teachers, 69 of which participated in the study. Two instrumentations were used to collect data, School Climate Index and Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale surveys. The instrumentations were distributed to the teachers by the districts’ superintendents using email. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the collected data. Although SC factors’ collegial leadership, teacher professionalism, and academic press were not significantly correlated to TSE, community engagement was significantly correlated. The statistics show that together, the combined SC factors were significantly correlated to TSE. In conclusion, this study replicated previous studies examining the relationship between SC and TSE and that more research is needed to narrow the research gap. Limitations to this study include improving sample size and diversity. A few recommendations for future research are replicating this study in another state, using different instruments, and examining a reverse relationship to see if SC can be predicted by TSE factors.

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