Narrative Inquiry: Examining the Self-Efficacy of Content Area Teacher Candidates

Abstract

This study examined the factors attributed to 10 teacher candidates’ perceptions of self-ef- cacy throughout their student teaching experiences. Dissimilar to the majority of studies which assess teacher self-ef cacy quantitatively, this study used narrative inquiry to meet three aims: First, to understand the variables attributed to teacher self-ef cacy among a group of secondary content area teacher candidates; second, to examine candidates’ student teach- ing experiences; and third, to inform teacher educators regarding recurrent themes of teacher preparation which may in uence the self-ef cacy of teacher candidates. The study’s ndings provide insight for teacher educators to consider strategies for enhancing teacher prepara- tion including, but not limited to 1) increased opportunities for preservice teachers to apply pedagogy; 2) the implementation of classroom management strategy coursework into teacher education curricula; and 3) incorporated opportunities to explore the extensive demands of the teaching profession, ranging from time management to dealing with dif cult parents. This study proposes that teacher preparation can in uence content area teacher candidates’ self- ef cacy beliefs, and creates a paradigm for future qualitative studies exploring the relation- ship between teacher preparation and teacher self-ef cacy.

Keywords

• teacher self-efficacy,teacher preparation,teacher candidates,student teaching

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