An examination of prospective teacher qualities related to teacher efficacy and teacher commitment

2012-09-14This study examined teacher efficacy and teacher commitment in recent graduates of a preservice teacher education program. Specifically, an exploratory analysis on the qualities of these graduates that were related to teacher efficacy and teacher commitment after completion of the preservice teacher education program was conducted. ❧ Participants included 58 recent graduates of an on-campus and online preservice teacher education program at a leading research university. Multiple and linear regression analyses were conducted to identify factors that were related to teacher efficacy and the desire to serve and commit to the teaching profession after completion of the program. Also, a series of paired t tests was conducted to compare teacher efficacy and teacher commitment scores for participants who assumed employment in high-need schools and those who did not. And one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to identify differences between the online and on-campus graduates. ❧ Results of the regression analyses indicated that age was a significant predictor of general teacher efficacy, and content grade point average was a significant predictor of teacher commitment. Additionally, t tests revealed no significant differences in mean scores for teacher efficacy and teacher commitment between teachers in high-need schools and those in traditional settings. One-way ANOVA results indicated no significant differences between the online and on-campus groups in terms of the identified variables