Holly SaintFollow

Date

12-2013

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Connie McDonald

Keywords

cognitive, efficacy, personality, pre-service, science, training

Disciplines

Cognitive Psychology | Elementary Education and Teaching | Personality and Social Contexts | Science and Mathematics Education | Teacher Education and Professional Development

Abstract

Various factors have been researched over the past decade related to teaching efficacy under NCLB. Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) guided this correlational study with 13 Alabama and 10 Tennessee public school districts to examine 114 K-4 teachers' personality measured by the Big Five Inventory (BFI) personality factors; science pre-service training and school-district professional development training measured by an unpublished Science Training Survey; and science teaching efficacy beliefs measured by the Science Teacher Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI). The BFI's personality factors and science training were examined in combination using a hierarchical linear regression in an eight-step model while controlling for gender, years of experience, and classroom setting. The combination of the BFI factors, pre-service training, and professional development training was shown as a significant predictor of science teaching efficacy beliefs. The BFI factors, pre-service training, and professional development training were entered as individual blocks showing that three BFI factors (Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness), pre-service training, and professional development training were shown as significant, blocked predictors of science teaching efficacy beliefs.

Download

Share

COinS