Social or verbal persuasion may entail a "pep talk" or specific performance feedback from a supervisor, colleague, or students. When the model performs poorly, the expectations of the observer decrease. When a credible model teaches well, the efficacy of the observer is enhanced. The more closely the observer identifies with the model, the stronger the impact on efficacy (Bandura, 1977). Vicarious experiences are those in which someone else models a skill.
For example, feelings of tension can be interpreted as anxiety and fear that failure is imminent or as excitement (i.e., being "psyched" for a good class). Interpretations of emotions and physiological arousal can add to the feeling of mastery or incompetence. The perception that one's teaching has been a failure lowers efficacy beliefs, contributing to the expectation that future performances will also be inept, unless the failure is viewed as providing clues about more potentially successful strategies. The perception that teaching has been successful (mastery) raises expectations that teaching will be proficient in the future, unless the success required such massive work that the individual feels unable to sustain this level of effort. Ross suggested that teachers with higher levels of efficacy are more likely to (1) learn and use new approaches and strategies for teaching, (2) use management techniques that enhance student autonomy, (3) provide special assistance to low achieving students, (4) build students' self-perceptions of their academic skills, (5) set attainable goals, and (6) persist in the face of student failure.īandura (1977, 1997) identified four sources of efficacy expectations: mastery experiences (the most powerful source), physiological and emotional states, vicarious experiences, and social persuasion. Ross (1994) reviewed 88 teacher efficacy studies in pre-college settings and identified potential links between teachers' sense of efficacy and their behaviors. And they tend to be less critical of students who make errors and to work longer with a student who is struggling (Ashton & Webb, 1986 Coladarchi, 1992 Gibson & Dembo, 1984 Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). They persist when things do not go smoothly and are more resilient in the face of setbacks. They tend to be more open to new ideas, more willing to experiment with new methods to better meet the needs of their students, and more committed to teaching.
Teachers with a strong sense of efficacy tend to exhibit greater levels of planning, organization, and enthusiasm and spend more time teaching in areas where their sense of efficacy is higher, whereas teachers tend to avoid subjects and topics when efficacy is lower. Teachers' sense of efficacy is a judgment about capabilities to influence student engagement and learning, even among those students who may be difficult or unmotivated. Since that time, research in many arenas has demonstrated the power of efficacy perceptions in human learning, performance, and motivation. Over a quarter century ago, Albert Bandura introduced the concept of self-efficacy or "beliefs in one's capacity to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments" (1997, p. Vanderbilt Center for Teaching: Self-Efficacy in College TeachingĪnita Woolfolk Hoy, The Ohio State University