Promoting teachers’ self-efficacy

Janina Täschner, Research associate TUM

The PhD project investigates ways of promoting the self-efficacy of (prospective) teachers.

A high level of self-efficacy is linked to positive results in many areas of life – as in empirical teacher research. There, for example, a high self-efficacy of teachers is associated with better student performance, more student-centred teaching, more frequent use of differentiation, higher job satisfaction, greater openness for professional development and a lower risk of burnout.

In recent years, a number of efforts have been made in teacher training with the aim of increasing the self-efficacy of future teachers: for example, more practical phases have been implemented, special training courses have been developed and the content of seminars has been supplemented with role-plays. However, it is still unclear how effective these interventions are and which characteristics of the interventions (e.g. substitute experience in a role play vs. practical experience at school) are particularly promising.

In the PhD project, corresponding intervention studies will be summarized and evaluated in a research synthesis. The aim is to answer the question whether interventions can increase teachers' self-efficacy and which characteristics play a decisive role in promoting teachers' self-efficacy (e.g. duration of the intervention).

The results can provide valuable information for both science and practice: In scientific discourse it is still unclear which method (e.g. feedback or practical experience) has the greatest influence on the development of self-efficacy. By analysing which characteristics of interventions are particularly promising, people involved in teacher training will gain valuable information for the development and implementation of effective self-efficacy programmes.

The results will be published in an international journal and shall be prepared for practical application.

Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Doris Holzberger
Mentor: Dr. Kristina Loderer