Classroom context, teacher feedback and student self-efficacy.

The relation between teacher feedback, praise, criticism and giving help, and student self-efficacy was examined using 1,021 students and 55 teachers from grades 3 to 7 from two elementary and two middle schools. The results of hierarchical linear modeling indicated that teacher feedback was not always related to self-efficacy in a straightforward manner. Giving unsolicited help and easy tasks when doing poorly on school work, and giving praise when work is done well were related to lower levels of self-efficacy, whereas criticizing students for not doing well was related to higher levels of self-efficacy. Patterns of feedback to the class were more strongly related to self-efficacy than feedback given to individual students. The positive relation between criticism and self-efficacy diminished somewhat as the spread of achievement in the classroom increased. The negative relation between help and self-efficacy was stronger at the elementary level, whereas the positive relation between criticism and self-efficacy was stronger at the middle school level. With respect to student characteristics, girls and at risk students had lower self-efficacy, whereas students with a view of ability as modifiable had higher levels of self-efficacy. The relation between feedback and self-efficacy depended on student academic status and classroom context. Praise was positively related to self-efficacy of regular students and negatively related to self-efficacy of at risk students in high spread classrooms. Praise was negatively related to self-efficacy of regular students and positively related to self-efficacy of at risk students in low spread classrooms. Different patterns of feedback, such as variability and the correlation with students' achievement levels, were associated with self-efficacy of at risk students. These findings suggest the need to consider student characteristics as well as classroom contexts in studying the relation between teacher feedback and student self-efficacy.Ph.D.Curriculum developmentEducationEducational psychologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/131007/2/9825263.pd