Evaluation of Educator Self-Efficacy in Informal Science Centers

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is increasing recognition that significant amounts of science learning take place over the course of one’s lifetime and much of this learning takes place outside of the formal educational settings. This learning is often facilitated by educators in these informal science settings. While much is known about educators in formal classroom settings, the research on informal science educators is nascent. This study aims to add to the literature through a survey of informal science educators’ levels of self-efficacy related to their work. The participants in this study (n = 400) completed a 35-item survey the survey which included 32 Likert scale questions on perceived levels of self-efficacy in different aspects of teaching in an informal science setting. When examining the results, the areas where the respondents felt less than skillful fell in areas related to facilitation and teaching about physical sciences concepts. Identifying areas where informal science educators feel less than skillful can help improve professional development opportunities by tailoring them to cover specific skills.