Date

8-24-2023

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Amy Jones

Keywords

elementary science, teacher efficacy, Next Generation Science Standards, pedagogical content knowledge

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

This predictive, correlational study examines the relationship between undergraduate degree type, methods courses taken in undergraduate school, and the number of years teaching the same grade level and elementary science teachers’ perceived self-efficacy. In this non-experimental study, participants submitted their online responses to the 25-item survey, Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-A), and their demographic information via Google Forms. The researcher used multiple regression to analyze participants’ anonymous responses. In using a multiple linear regression analysis, the researcher examined the results of the STEBI-A to determine how accurately an elementary science teachers’ perceived self-efficacy is predicted by the predictor variable of type of undergraduate degree earned, years of teaching the same grade for elementary science teachers. The type of degree and science method courses variables did not display an ability to predict elementary science teacher self-efficacy. The participants for the study came from a snowball sample of elementary school teachers located in New Jersey during the summer semester of the 2022-2023 school year with N = 138 with a minimum of N = 71. The study revealed a statistically significant relationship between self-efficacy and the number of years of teaching the same grade level; however, undergraduate degree earned, and science methods courses did not show a statistically significant contribution to the overall model. Based on the results of this study a multiple regression study with degree type and subject matter professional development exposure as predictive variables is recommended.

Download

Included in

Education Commons

Share

COinS