http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09243450600565795 Developing deep learning approaches and personal teaching efficacy within a preservice teacher education context 1. Dr Christopher Gordon*, 2. Ray Debus Article first published online: 16 DEC 2010 DOI: 10.1348/00070990260377488 2002 The British Psychological Society Issue This is the latest article added to the shopping cart. A multilevel analysis of the relationship between teacher and collective efficacy in urban schools Original Research Article Teaching and Teacher Education, Volume 17, Issue 7, October 2001, Pages 807-818 Roger D Goddard, Yvonne L Goddard Remove $19.95 Back To Previous Title Does Backing Up Behavior Explain the Efficacy—Performance Relationship in Teams? Edition Vol. 42 no. 4, August 2011.pp. 458-474 Call Number ISBN/ISSN 10464964 Author(s) Gogus, Celile Itir Yu, Race Chien-Feng Porter, Christopher O.L.H. Other Authors Topic(s) team performance Collective efficacy Does Backing Up Behavior Explain the Efficacy Efficacy-performance Series Title Small Group Research GMD Journal Articles Language English Publisher Thousand Oak : sage publisher, 2011 Collation Abstract/Notes Although the relationship between collective efficacy beliefs and team performance has been welldocumented, few studies have explored the causal mechanisms that might explain these effects. In the current study, the authors explore the role of backing up behavior, a specific form of teamwork behavior, in explaining why high efficacy beliefs lead to high levels of team performance. Participants were 416 undergraduate business students who were organized into 104 four-person teams. The teams worked on an interdependent, computerized, decision-making task. Results of the study revealed that collective efficacy beliefs were positively related to team performance and that backing up behaviors largely mediated these effects. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. Location There is no item/copy for this title yet Image European Journal of Special Needs Education Understanding teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy in inclusive education: implications for pre-service and inservice teacher education DOI: 10.1080/08856257.2011.613603 Hannu Savolainen, Petra Engelbrecht, Mirna Nel & Olli-Pekka Malinen Teaching Education Volume 21, Issue 2, 2010 Using microteaching to enhance teacher efficacy in pre‐service teachers DOI: 10.1080/10476210902998466 Amanda G. Mergler & D. Tangen pages 199-210 Previous Page Link to Source Print Item Add a Comment Situating Pre-service Reading Teachers as Tutors: Implications of Teacher Selfefficacy on Tutoring Elementary Students Author: Haverback Rogers Heather August 2009 | Type: Abstract Source: Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, Volume 17, Issue 3 August 2009 , pages 251 – 261. This study examined the impact of high teacher efficacy on tutoring elementary students in reading. The Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) was adapted to create a reading-specific teacher efficacy scale, which is referred to as the RTSES. This scale was used to investigate whether tutors with high efficacy used more reading strategies while teaching elementary students to read. The research also examined whether high efficacy was correlated with reading strategy use. Analyses of pre-test and post-test data showed that reading efficacy and strategy use were not correlated. Furthermore, the results showed that tutors with high efficacy scores did not use a significantly higher number of reading strategies while tutoring than those with low efficacy scores. The findings suggest that pre-service teachers' efficacy did not affect their reading strategy use while tutoring elementary students. There is a need for more research to further investigate the impact that high efficacy has on tutoring. Extending the Concept and Assessment of Teacher Efficacy 1. Yisrael Rich 1. Bar Ilan University, Israel 1. Smadar Lev 1. Bar Ilan University, Israel 1. Sharon Fischer 1. Bar Ilan University, Israel Abstract This report describes an effort to develop an instrument to assess teacher efficacy for enhancing student social relations (TES). In addition, the psychometric properties of the teacher efficacy scale produced by Gibson and Dembo were examined after translation to Hebrew and administration to 218 Israeli teachers. Results indicated that the TES subscale is independent of the two original subscales and demonstrates good internal and test-retest reliability. Also, the factorial structure of the original teacher efficacy scale was replicated with the Israeli sample, and reliability levels were generally adequate. Some problems with one of the original subscales are noted. he Journal of Experimental Education Volume 63, Issue 3, 1995 Decision Participation and School Climate as Predictors of Job Satisfaction and Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Preview Buy now DOI: 10.1080/00220973.1995.9943810 Dianne L. Taylora & Abbas Tashakkoria pages 217-230 Available online: 14 Jul 2010 School climate, sense of efficacy and Israeli teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion of students with special needs 1. Amatzia Weisel1 and 2. Orit Dror2 + Author Affiliations 1. 2. Tel Aviv University 2Tel Aviv University 1 Abstract This article examines the effects of school organizational and educational climate, and a teacher’s sense of efficacy, on general education teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion of students with special needs. The sample included 139 teachers from 17 elementary schools in the Northern District of Israel. The results of Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses indicated that school climate and teachers’ sense of efficacy as well as participation in special education training were positively associated with teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion. Self-efficacy was the single most important factor affecting attitudes. School climate included six factors: supportive leadership; teachers’ autonomy; prestige of the teaching profession; renovations; teachers’ collaboration; and workload. Examination of the intercorrelations among these factors and with attitudes revealed that those teachers who perceived their school as having supportive leadership, encouraged renovations and collaboration but did not threaten teachers’ autonomy, tended to express more positive attitudes towards inclusion. Social Psychology of Education Volume 6, Number 3, 191-215, DOI: 10.1023/A:1024723124467 Self-Efficacy and Burnout in Teaching: The Importance of Interpersonal-Relations Efficacy Isaac A. Friedman European Journal of Special Needs Education Volume 16, Issue 3, 2001 Ultra-orthodox Jewish teachers' selfefficacy and willingness for inclusion of pupils with special needs Preview Buy now DOI: 10.1080/08856250110074373 Rivka Glaubman IV & Hefziba Lifshitz pages 207-223 Available online: 15 Oct 2010 Abstract The main aim of the present study was to investigate the attitudes of boys' teachers (N = 68), and girls' teachers (N = 68), in the independent educational system of the ultraorthodox (Haredi) community, towards inclusion of pupils with special needs in regular classrooms. Forty of the subjects lived and taught in two major cities in which reside, beside other citizens, the majority of the Haredi community in Israel, and 73 of them lived in a small town in which reside only the Haredi community. Results show that willingness to include pupils with special needs in their class of teachers in the cities is significantly more positive than their counterparts in the small town. In addition, within those cities the willingness to include of the boys' teachers is more positive towards inclusion of mildly disabled children, while the willingness to include of girls' teachers is more positive towards inclusion of severely disabled pupils. Findings indicate also that the Haredi teachers, males and females alike, have a different perception of disability as compared to the common spread of the professional perception of this term. Results indicate the effects of a major change in the state's educational policy on its independent minorities' educators. Download full text Extending the Concept and Assessment of Teacher Efficacy 1. Yisrael Rich 1. Bar Ilan University, Israel 1. Smadar Lev 1. Bar Ilan University, Israel 1. Sharon Fischer 1. Bar Ilan University, Israel Abstract This report describes an effort to develop an instrument to assess teacher efficacy for enhancing student social relations (TES). In addition, the psychometric properties of the teacher efficacy scale produced by Gibson and Dembo were examined after translation to Hebrew and administration to 218 Israeli teachers. Results indicated that the TES subscale is independent of the two original subscales and demonstrates good internal and test-retest reliability. Also, the factorial structure of the original teacher efficacy scale was replicated with the Israeli sample, and reliability levels were generally adequate. Some problems with one of the original subscales are noted. CiteULike Connotea Delicious Digg Facebook Google+ LinkedIn Mendeley Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Twitter What's this? Articles citing this article Choices of Instructional Practices and Efficacy Beliefs of Israeli General and Special Educators: A Cross-Cultural Research Initiative Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Counci April 1, 2002 25: 154-167 o Abstract o Full Text (PDF) A Reliability Generalization Study of the Teacher Efficacy Scale and Related Instruments Educational and Psychological Measurement June 1, 2001 61: 404420 o Abstract o Full Text (PDF) School climate, sense of efficacy and Israeli teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion of students with special needs 1. Amatzia Weisel1 and 2. Orit Dror2 + Author Affiliations 1. 2. 1 2 Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University Abstract This article examines the effects of school organizational and educational climate, and a teacher’s sense of efficacy, on general education teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion of students with special needs. The sample included 139 teachers from 17 elementary schools in the Northern District of Israel. The results of Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses indicated that school climate and teachers’ sense of efficacy as well as participation in special education training were positively associated with teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion. Self-efficacy was the single most important factor affecting attitudes. School climate included six factors: supportive leadership; teachers’ autonomy; prestige of the teaching profession; renovations; teachers’ collaboration; and workload. Examination of the intercorrelations among these factors and with attitudes revealed that those teachers who perceived their school as having supportive leadership, encouraged renovations and collaboration but did not threaten teachers’ autonomy, tended to express more positive attitudes towards inclusion. Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children April 2002 vol. 25 no. 2 154-167 Choices of Instructional Practices and Efficacy Beliefs of Israeli General and Special Educators: A Cross-Cultural Research Initiative 1. Yona Leyser 1. Northern Illinois University Abstract Abstrctct. The study examined teacher choices of instructional practices needed in inclusive settings and their efficacy beliefs. Subjects were 560 general education and 139 special education teachers in Israel. Participants responded to a 68-item questionnaire about instructional practices and a 13-item self-efficacy scale. Significant differences between reported use and judgments of the effectiveness of various groups of practices were fourcd between groups. Special education teachers reported using more frequently individualized instruction strategies and assessment procedures. General educators reported communicating more with parents and with students. Both groups rated significantly higher all strategies for effectiveness than for use. Significant correlations, particularly for the general education group, were found between self-efficacy beliefs and choices of instructional behaviors. Scores on the self-efficacy scale were significantly higher for the special education group than for their counterparts. Training in mainstreaming and type of school were related to self-efficacy scores. Implications for cross-cultural future research, the development of standards for the preparation of educators, and for teacher education are discussed. Teaching and Teacher Education Volume 24, Issue 3, April 2008, Pages 751–766 Measuring teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs: Development and use of the TEBS-Self Amy B. Dellingera, Jacquline J. Bobbettb, Dianne F. Olivierc, Chad D. Ellettd a , , Department of Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Foundations, College of Education and Human Development, University of New Orleans, 348, Bicentennial Education Bldg., Lakefront, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA b Louisiana State Department of Education, USA c St. Martin Parish School Board, USA d CDE Research Associates, Inc., USA Received 11 July 2006. Revised 10 February 2007. Accepted 22 February 2007. Available online 22 May 2007. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education Volume 54, Issue 1, 2007 Special Issue: School Reform and Outcomes for All Students Changing Disability‐related Attitudes and Self‐efficacy of Israeli Children via the Partners to Inclusion Programme Preview Buy now DOI: 10.1080/10349120601149821 Meyrav Maroma*, Doron Cohena & Denise Naona pages 113-127 Available online: 16 Mar 2007 Abstract This quasi‐experimental study investigated how direct contact between students with and without disabilities impacted disability‐related attitudes and specific self‐efficacy of study participants. Study participants (N = 170) were students without disabilities who attended general education schools. Students in an experimental group (N = 77) participated in a Partners to Inclusion Programme. This 1‐year programme provided direct contact with students with disabilities, via weekly or bi‐weekly joint activities that lasted 30–90 min. Participants in a no‐treatment control group (N = 93) did not participate in the programme. We found that disability‐related attitudes and specific self‐efficacy improved over time for participants in the experimental group, but not for participants in the control group. These results extend research findings and practical implications on how to change disability‐related attitudes and biases. Determinants and Structural Relation of Personal Efficacy to Collective Efficacy 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Rocío Fernández-Ballesteros, Juan Díez-Nicolás, Gian Vittorio Caprara, Claudio Barbaranelli, Albert Bandura Article first published online: 8 APR 2002 DOI: 10.1111/1464-0597.00081 Issue Applied Psychology Volume 51, Issue 1, pages 107–125, January 2002 Additional Information(Show All) How to CiteAuthor InformationPublication History How to Cite Fernández-Ballesteros, R., Díez-Nicolás, J., Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C. and Bandura, A. (2002), Determinants and Structural Relation of Personal Efficacy to Collective Efficacy. Applied Psychology, 51: 107–125. doi: 10.1111/14640597.00081 Author Information 1. Autónoma University of Madrid, Spain * Address for correspondence: Rocío Fernández-Ballesteros, Department of Psychobiology and Health Psychology, Autónoma University of Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain. Email: r.fballesteros@uam.es Publication History 1. Issue published online: 8 APR 2002 2. Article first published online: 8 APR 2002 Dans cette recherche, on éprouve un modèle structurel concernant l’impact du statut socioéconomique sur l’efficacité individuelle perçue et le rapport qu’elle entretient avec la perception de l’efficacité collective. Dans les travaux sociodémographiques, les jeunes, par comparaison aux plus âgés, s’estiment moins efficaces dans la gestion de leur vie professionnelle, de leurs relations intimes et de leur situation financière, mais plus aptes à promouvoir le changement social. Les hommes ont plus que les femmes le sentiment de pouvoir contribuer à la solution des problèmes sociaux. En accord avec le modèle structurel énoncé, le statut socioéconomique contribue à la fois à la perception de l’efficacité personnelle dans la gestion des événements de sa propre vie et dans la participation à l’amélioration de la société. Ces deux aspects de l’efficacité individuelle perçue contribuent à leur tour fortement à la conviction qu’une action collective peut effectivement induire le changement social. Un autre modèle où l’efficacité collective perçue devient la cause première de l’efficacité individuelle perçue se révéla moins proche des données recueillies. This study tested a structural model regarding the impact of socioeconomic status on people’s perceived individual efficacy and its link to their perceived collective efficacy. In sociodemographic analyses younger participants, compared to their older counterparts, judged themselves less efficacious to manage their worklife, intimate partnerships, and financial condition, but of higher efficacy in promoting social change. Men had a higher sense of efficacy than women to contribute to the solution of social problems. In accord with the posited structural model, socioeconomic status contributed to both perceived personal efficacy to manage one’s life circumstances and individual efficacy to contribute to the betterment of societal conditions. Both forms of perceived individual efficacy, in turn, contributed substantially to a sense of collective efficacy to effect social change through unified action. An alternative model in which perceived collective efficacy is assigned causal primacy affecting perceived individual efficacy provided a poorer fit to the data. The case for reconceptualizing teacher efficacy research ☆ Karl F. Wheatley Department of Teacher Education, Cleveland State University, 1329 Rhodes Tower, 1860 East 22nd Street, , Cleveland, OH 44115-2214, USA Available online 27 June 2005. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.05.009, How to Cite or Link Using DOI Cited by in Scopus (22) Permissions & Reprints Abstract This paper explores possible uses of teacher efficacy research by democratic teacher educators. The many possible meanings of teacher efficacy levels make it problematic for teacher educators to interpret and use teacher efficacy. Beneficial teacher efficacy doubts and problematic types of teacher efficacy confidence are identified, including conceptions of agency that may conflict with democratic teaching. Thus, efforts to enhance teacher efficacy may have many negative side effects. The research support for teacher efficacy is critiqued. To make future research more useful to democratic teacher educators, a new definition of teachers’ efficacy beliefs is proposed, and research directions are outlined. Keywords Teacher efficacy; Teacher beliefs; Teacher learning; Teacher education; Democratic education; Education reform ☆ An earlier version of this article was presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, in Seattle, in April 2001. This article draws on and extends related research by the author ( [121], [122] and [123]). Portions of this article are based upon data that was collected for the Educational Policy and Practice Study (EPPS) at Michigan State University. The EPPS study was supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation; the Pew Charitable Trust; the Carnegie Corporation of New York; the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, which was funded by a grant from the US Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI-G-008690011); and Michigan State University. The ideas presented here have benefited from the input of Penelope Peterson, Carole Ames, Dick Prawat, Deborah Ball, John Settlage, and my colleagues at Cleveland State University. Tel.: +1 216 687 4592; fax: +1 216 687 5387. Copyright © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Exploring Connections Between the Construct of Teacher Efficacy and Family Involvement Practices Implications for Urban Teacher Preparation 1. Delia C. Garcia 1. Florida International University Abstract The current study explores the relationship between perceived teacher efficacy and specific practices of family involvement exhibited by 110 elementary schoolteachers from a large urban school district. Bandura’s construct of self-efficacy provided the theoretical framework for examining teacher efficacy. The study investigated the predictive value of self-efficacy beliefs for determining specific family involvement practices exhibited by teachers. Self-efficacy was measured with the Teacher Efficacy Scale and the Family Involvement Teacher Efficacy Scale. Results from this investigation revealed that teacher efficacy was significantly correlated to and was a predictor of five different types of family involvement practices, as reflected in Epstein’s typology of home-school and community partnerships. The study raised questions related to the effective preparation of teachers in this area and the types of experiences that facilitate the development of teacher efficacy beliefs in the area of home-school and community partnerships. Annotation from the Connection Collection You are viewing a record from the Connection Collection, a searchable annotated bibliography database. It links you with research-based information that you can use to connect schools, families, and communities. Back to search results Title: Exploring connections between the construct of teacher efficacy and family involvement practices: Implications for urban teacher preparation Author: Garcia, D. C. Year: 2004 Resource Type: Journal Article Publication Information: Urban Education, 39(3) pp. 290-315 Connection: School-Family Education Level: Elementary Literature type: Research and Evaluation Annotation: This study investigates the relationship between teachers' self-efficacy and the family involvement practices of these teachers. It was predicted that teachers with higher levels of self-efficacy (for family involvement) will report a greater number of practices designed to involve families in their children's education. Results suggested that teacher self efficacy was significantly correlated to and was a predictor of family involvement practices. In this study, teachers who perceived themselves as more efficacious in their ability to work with families made more attempts to involve families in the education of their children. The results also suggested that teacher efficacy should be measured in context and for task-specific domains (such as family involvement self-efficacy) rather than broader measures of self-efficacy. The sample included 110 elementary school teachers from 59 schools in south Florida. All the teachers were enrolled in a graduate program. Teachers completed questionnaires including 1) a demographic questionnaire; 2) the Teacher Efficacy Scale (Gibson & Dembo, 1984); 3) the Family Involvement Teach Efficacy Scale (Garcia, 2000); and 4) the Teacher Family Involvement Practices Survey (developed for the current study). Analyses included correlations and regressions on the above variables and the primary dependent variable-family involvement practices. The authors suggest that teacher education programs should include courses and requirements that promote experience with families. They also recommend that teachers observe others engaged in efforts to involve families, and that school leaders build greater home-school relations. While this study does not test a particular intervention, it does further understanding about why teachers make choices to include or not include meaningful family involvement practices. Suggested Citation Style: Garcia, D. C. (2004). Exploring connections between the construct of teacher efficacy and family involvement practices: Implications for urban teacher preparation. Urban Education, 39(3), 290-315. Home >> Journal >> Social Sciences & Humanities>> PSYCH Psychology ISSN Print: 2152-7180 ISSN Online: 2152-7199 Website: http://www.Scirp.org/journal/psych Share: PSYCH >> Vol.2 No.3, June 2011 Preservice Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy and Its Sources Full Text(PDF, 151KB) PP.235-240 DOI: 10.4236/psych.2011.23037 Author(s) Sunjin Oh KEYWORDS Preservice Teachers’ Teaching Efficacy, Sources of Teaching Efficacy, Preservice Teachers’ Personality Characteristics, Capabilities, Motivation ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine several potential sources of preservice teachers’ perceptions of their teaching efficacy during their reading and writing lessons. More specifically, the study explored the relationship between the sources of preservice teachers’ self-efficacy and teachers’ perception of efficacy in the areas of instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement. Forty-three preservice teachers in pre-literacy methods courses and fourteen in post-literacy methods courses completed the survey, which consisted of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) and Teaching Efficacy Sources Inventory. Paired t-test results showed that preservice teachers’ teaching efficacy increased in the three subscales of instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement by the end of the literacy method courses. Efficacy for instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement were highly intercorrelated with each other in the pre-test data. The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that personality characteristics, capabilities, motivation, enactive mastery experiences with social/verbal persuasion, and physiological/affective state were significant predictors when efficacy for classroom management was the dependent variable in the post-test data. Findings of this study revealed that preservice teachers’ personality, motivation, and capabilities were one of the important sources to improve their teaching efficacy, in congruence with previous research (Poulou, 2007; Yeung & Watkins, 2000). Reference [1] Anderson, S., & Betz, N. (2001). Sources of social self-efficacy expectations: Their measurement and relation to career development. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 58, 98-117. doi:10.1006/jvbe.2000.1753 [2] Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215. doi:10.1037/0033295X.84.2.191 [3] Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman. [4] Chan, D. W. (2008). General, collective, and domain-specific teacher selfefficacy among Chinese prospective and in-service teachers in Hong Kong. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 1057-1069. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2007.11.010 [5] Dembo, M. H., & Gibson, S. (1985). Teachers’ sense of efficacy: An important factor in school improvement. The Elementary School Journal, 86, 173-184. doi:10.1086/461441 [6] Erdle, S., Murray, H. G., & Rushton, J. P. (1985). Personality, classroom behavior, and student ratings of college teaching effectiveness: A path analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 394-407. doi:10.1037/00220663.77.4.394 [7] Henson, R. K. (2001, February). Relationships between preservice teachers’ self-efficacy, task analysis, and classroom management beliefs. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Southwest Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA. [8] Poulou, M. (2007). Personal teaching efficacy and its sources: student teachers’ perceptions. Educational Psychology, 27, 191-218. doi:10.1080/01443410601066693 [9] Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17, 783805. doi:10.1016/S0742-051X(01)00036-1 [10] Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2007). The differential antecedents of self-efficacy beliefs of novice and experienced teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23, 944-956. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2006.05.003 [11] US Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2002). No Child Left Behind: A desktop reference. Washington, DC. [12] Yeung, K. W, & Watkins, D. (2000). Hong Kong student teachers’ personal construction of teaching efficacy. Educational Psychology, 20, 213-235. doi:10.1080/713663713 Factors influencing first-year teachers' sense of efficacy Çapa, Yesim Display Full Text | Download Full Text 1.34 MB PDF file Degree Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Educational Policy and Leadership, 2005. Abstract Teachers’ sense of efficacy – teachers’ beliefs about their abilities to bring about desired outcomes of student engagement and learning – was identified almost 30 years ago as one of the few teacher characteristics related to student achievement. Since then, researchers have been interested in the origins, measures, and factors cultivating the formation of efficacy. Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy suggests that efficacy may be most malleable early in learning, thus the first years of teaching could be critical to the long-term development of teachers’ sense of efficacy. Despite the importance of first-year experiences, little is known about the kinds of context variables that support and undermine efficacy in the early years. This study addressed the void by investigating sources of efficacy information of first-year teachers. The target population for the study was all first-year teachers during the 2003-2004 school year in the state of Ohio. A survey instrument was mailed to 1,500 randomly selected first-year teachers, of which 617 were returned (a 41.1% return rate). The First-Year Teacher Survey instrument, accompanied by a letter and a postage-paid return envelope, consisted of two main sections: Part I of the instrument consisted of items assessing personal and school characteristics of respondents. Part II of the instrument consisted of subscales assessing variables of the study: teachers’ sense of efficacy, characteristics of teaching assignment, principal support, mentor support, colleague support, and teacher preparation program quality. Teacher efficacy and mentor support were measured using preexisting scales. For the rest of the variables, items were developed based on the literature. The scales showed good psychometric characteristics (high reliability estimates and substantial validity evidences). Utilizing structural equation modeling, this descriptive survey study tested a model of teacher efficacy in which efficacy beliefs of first-year teachers were predicted by teacher preparation program quality, principal support, colleague support, mentor support, and characteristics of teaching assignment. Findings suggested that the model fits the data well. Three independent variables were significant predictors of first-year teachers’ sense of efficacy: teacher preparation program quality, principal support, and characteristics of teaching assignment. Implications of the results of this study and recommendations for future research are discussed. Keywords teacher's sense of efficacy; first-year teachers; teacher education; teacher induction; survey research; structural equation modeling; teacher beliefs Advisor William E. Loadman Pages xviii, 214 p.: ill. (some col.)