RELATION OF CHARACTER STRENGTHS TO PERSONAL TEACHING EFFICACY IN KOREAN SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS

Many factors that may affect personal teaching efficacy (PTE) of special education teachers have been discovered. However, little is known about the relationship between character strengths (CS) and PTE in them. This study aimed to investigate CS in relation to PTE in Korean special education teachers. Character Strengths Test-Short Form (CST-SF) and Teacher Efficacy Scale-Personal (TES-P), respectively, assessed the CS and PTE of 111 Korean special education teachers. Results showed that four dimensions of the CST-SF (interpersonal, restraint, intellectual, and theological strengths) were significantly related to PTE, indicating that teachers with high CS were likely to experience greater PTE. Regression analysis indicated that the areas of interpersonal and restraint strengths significantly predicted PTE. The results have implications for the development of effective programs for special education teachers as well as the formalization of special education teacher recruitment policies