Changing Expectations, Same Perspective: Pre-service Teachers’ Judgments of Professional Efficacy

Abstract

This two-part study tracks and measures the professional self- efficacy judgements of two cohorts of pre-service teachers (PST). In Part One, the GTCE™ Code of Conduct and Practice (GTCE, 2009) was used to help form an instrument which tracked changes in the professional self- efficacy judgements of 211 PST through a one-year graduate program. Judgements were sought from PST both about themselves, and importantly, also about practicing teachers in the profession. In Part Two, statements making up the new DfE Teaching Standards (DfE, 2011) were similarly used to form an instrument and used with a subsequent cohort of 416 PST. Outcomes showed that PSTs judgement of professional self-efficacy were extremely high on both occasions, and in nearly all cases, significantly more positive than their ratings for current serving teachers. Tracked through their one-year program, the self-judgements barely changed, although views of the practicing teaching increased markedly, although never quite reaching the levels of self-judgements. The detail and significance of these findings is analysed and discussed.