Welcome
CRADLE summer conference
Using lesson observations to
promote teacher self-efficacy
Presented by Terry Pearson – 17 June 2015
Activity 1
How meaningful to teachers
are current systems of
lesson observation?
Key recommendations

There is a need to explore alternative
approaches to the current, dominant
model of graded lesson observation.
(UCU)

Making appraisal and feedback
meaningful is especially important for
teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy and
job satisfaction in England. (OECD)
Session agenda
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Begin with a self-efficacy exercise
Discuss key research findings about how
teacher self-efficacy is related to teacher and
student performance in the classroom
Identify key aspects of teacher self-efficacy
from two short teaching conversations
Explore how lesson observation can contribute
to staff development programmes designed to
promote teacher self-efficacy in the classroom
Evaluate our own sense of self efficacy in
relation to the self-efficacy exercise
Activity 2
To what extent do I
anticipate I will respond
positively to a challenging
task?
Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy is a means of
determining the extent to which a
person will respond positively in
challenging circumstances


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their willingness to try
how much effort they apply
how long they will persist
Bandura (1977)
SE and performance
An early meta-analysis of studies
of the relationship between selfefficacy and work related
performance confirmed that
significant increases in
performance can be due to high
self-efficacy
(Stajkovic and Luthans, 1998).
SE and teacher performance
Teachers with a sense of high selfefficacy in the classroom are:
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more open to new ideas and willing to
experiment with new methods
better planned, more organised
more likely to work longer with
students who are struggling
less critical of students when they make
errors
TSE and student performance
Generally most studies show a
significantly strong positive
relationship between teachers’
sense of efficacy in the classroom
and student performance
Including academic achievement
when it is aggregated at the school
level
TSE and student performance
Considerable evidence to show
that teacher self-efficacy is also
linked to students' performance in
aspects other than academic
achievement:

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enhanced student motivation
increased self-esteem
improved self-direction
more positive attitudes toward school
Two key considerations
Teacher self-efficacy is both task
and context dependent

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Teachers may believe they are more
capable of succeeding with some groups
of students than others
Teachers may have a higher sense of
self-efficacy about one aspect of their
teaching compared to another
Another key consideration
Teachers tend to feel more capable
in a setting which is rich in
leadership and peer support or
teaching resources than in an
organisation where less human
and physical assets are available
Teacher SE in the classroom
A teacher’s sense of efficacy is
made up of two distinct but
interrelated components; teaching
efficacy and personal efficacy
(Ashton et. al., 1982)
Activity 3
Identifying the components of
teacher self-efficacy
Teacher A
Teaching efficacy
Personal efficacy
I strongly believe
that students under
16 years of age ARE
NOT ready for
studying in FE
colleges
I firmly believe that I
AM very capable of
engaging my
students in their
learning
Expected Outcome
I believe the students I teach who are under
16 years of age will make limited progress
in college
Teacher B
Teaching efficacy
Personal efficacy
I strongly believe
I firmly believe that I
that students under AM NOT very capable
16 years of age ARE
of engaging my
ready for studying in
students in their
FE colleges
learning
Expected Outcome
I believe the students I teach who are under
16 years of age will make limited progress
in college
Promoting self-efficacy
Bandura proposed that
expectations of self-efficacy are
based on four sources of
information:
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performance accomplishments
vicarious experience
verbal persuasion
physiological states
Activity 4
Designing a programme for
developing teacher self-efficacy in
the classroom
New approaches
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Move away from the dominant model of
using lesson observation to IDENTIFY
staff development needs and judge
quality and performance
Move towards an eclectic approach
which uses lesson observation to
ADDRESS staff development needs and
enhance quality and performance
New possibilities

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The vast majority of teachers say that
lesson observations had helped them to
improve as classroom practitioners
Compared with other countries, in
England, significantly more teachers
report that the feedback they received
led to positive changes in their teaching
practices
Close
Thank you
Have a safe journey home
terrypearsonltd@gmail.com
References
Ashton, P.T., Webb, R. B. and Doda, N. (1982). A study of
teachers’ sense of self efficacy. Final report. Volume I.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of
behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215.
O’Leary, M. (2013). Developing a National Framework for the
Effective Use of Lesson Observation in Further Education. UCU
OECD (2014) New Insights from TALIS 2013. Teaching and
Learning in Primary and Upper Secondary Education. OECD
Stajkovic, A. D., & Luthans, F. (1988). Self-efficacy and workrelated performance: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin,
124(2), 240-261.