Julia Acker

The Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Preschool Teachers Serving Low-Income DLLs

Faculty Mentor | Dr. Adina Schick

Teacher self-efficacy, or belief in one’s own teaching abilities (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 1998), is a key factor in preschool classroom quality (Justice et al., 2008) and children’s school-readiness skills (Guo et al., 2010). Past research suggests that teacher self-efficacy is subject to individual and contextual factors (e.g., Stipek, 2012; Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2002); however, no studies have yet examined the factors that contribute to teacher self-efficacy in preschools serving low-income dual language learners (DLLs), a population at risk for academic disadvantage beginning in the preschool years. The current study investigated the influence of teacher, classroom, and program characteristics on teacher self-efficacy in a sample of 61 lead teachers from 14 preschools serving low-income DLLs. Each participant completed a 61-item online survey at the end of the preschool year that included a demographic questionnaire, the Teacher’s Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001), and a measure of perceived administrative support adapted from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009). Results showed that teacher self- efficacy was not related to teacher demographic variables, education, classroom characteristics, or program type. The most salient predictor of teacher self-efficacy was perceived administrative support, suggesting that teachers’ perceptions of their abilities are contextually situated in preschools serving low-income DLLs. Rather than focusing solely on teacher credentials (e.g., education), policy efforts should promote support within center-based preschool programs to improve teacher self-efficacy, and, subsequently, the educational experiences of DLLs.