Early Childhood Preservice Teachers’ Passion, Beliefs, and Their Sense of Teacher Efficacy

This study examined whether passion for teaching and teaching beliefs predicts preservice teachers’ sense of teacher efficacy. A total of 212 pre-service teachers enrolled in early childhood teacher education programs in the Seoul metro area of South Korea participated in this study. The results of multiple hierarchical regression analyses revealed that across all sub-areas of teacher efficacy and overall teacher efficacy, preservice teachers’ constructivist teaching belief was the most significant predictor, followed by harmonious passion. Obsessive passion was a significant predictor of preservice teachers’ sense of teacher efficacy except for efficacy in instructional strategies. Traditional belief was not a positive predictor of preservice teachers’ adaptive outcome, teacher efficacy. This study discussed educational implications for cultivating preservice teachers’ harmonious passion for teaching and the teaching profession, along with the benefits of constructivist teaching belief and practice for preservice teachers with a high level of obsessive passion in order to enhance early childhood preservice teachers’ sense of teacher efficacy and reduce the possible negative interaction effects of traditional teaching belief