The Impact of Teacher Self-Efficacy on Student Achievement

From the Marshall Memo #456

In this Elementary School Journal article, Ying Guo (University of Cincinnati), Carol McDonald Connor, Yanyun Yang, and Alysia Roehrig (Florida State University), and Frederick Morrison (University of Michigan) report on a study of the impact of teacher self-efficacy on 1,043 fifth graders’ literacy achievement. The authors define self-efficacy as “the individual’s perceived expectancy of obtaining valued outcomes through personal effort.” It’s important because teachers who believe they will be successful with students are more likely to take responsibility, invest significant effort, persist, and manage negative events. The authors studied time on academic activities, teacher sensitivity and warmth, and classroom climate (including teacher feedback). 

The study found that students’ incoming literacy skills were the best predictor of their achievement at the end of fifth grade. Among school variables, teacher self-efficacy had more impact than teachers’ education and level of experience. Self-efficacy had its impact via specific classroom practices that support learning – warmth, responsiveness, and frequent feedback to students. 

Intriguingly, experienced teachers with high self-efficacy spent less classroom time to get better student outcomes. “Further investigation is needed,” say the authors of this paradoxical finding.

“The Effects of Teacher Qualification, Teacher Self-Efficacy, and Classroom Practices on Fifth Graders’ Literacy Outcomes” by Ying Guo, Carol McDonald Connor, Yanyun Yang, Alysia Roehrig, and Frederick Morrison in Elementary School Journal, September 2012 (Vol. 113, #1, p. 3-24), http://bit.ly/Qof59x