Examining Elementary Teacher Self-Efficacy in Visual Arts

The value of arts education is immeasurable, as detailed by numerous researchers, in its capacity to foster students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills, social and emotional development, multi-sensory perception, and appreciation of cultural viewpoints and contexts. However, the arts have unfortunately held a tenuous place in America’s schools, often regarded as an unnecessary frill, contrasted with the serious affair of learning. Operating amongst these tensions has been a growing surge of pre-service and primary teachers whose low self-efficacy has recently been found to negatively impact student development and appreciation of art. My research study aims to consider how elementary teachers’ self-efficacy affects visual arts education. In my findings, I shine an appreciative lens on the contributions of three generalist teachers in their mid-careers, as I outline their challenges, strengths and coping strategies as shared through the following topics of personal background experiences, classroom experiences, resources, assessment, communication, and teacher effectiveness. Through this research study, I hope to enlighten and encourage emerging teachers, as well as teachers well established in their careers, seeking to develop their self-efficacy, as it relates to successfully implementing a strong visual arts program in their classes