Fluctuations in Teacher Efficacy during Implementation of Destreaming

Abstract

Four exemplary Grade 9 mathematics teachers were followed over a year as they implemented destreaming, an externally induced reform. Implementation of the reform had an immediate negative effect on teachers' expectations about their effectiveness in the classroom. However, within the year, teachers' beliefs about their professional efficacy rebounded. The recovery was attributed to curriculum factors (acquiring evidence that students were learning), organizational culture factors (collaborating with peers and having a timetable that supported collaboration), and personal factors (avoiding negative thoughts about their effectiveness, being certain about personal goals, and drawing on teaching experience). Quatre enseignants chevronn6s de math6matiques en 9e ann6e ont 6t6 suivis durant un an pendant qu'ils implantaient le d6cloisonnement. Cette r6forme, impos6e de l'exterieur, a eu dans l'imm6diat un effet n6gatif sur les attentes des enseignants quant a leur efficacit6 en classe. Toutefois, avant la fin de l'ann6e, ils avaient de nouveau repris confiance dans leur efficacit6 professionnelle. Ce ph6nomene a 6t6 attribu6 des facteurs relies au programme (accumulation de preuves que les e61ves apprenaient), a des facteurs associ6s a la culture organisationnelle (collaboration avec les pairs et mise en place d'un horaire qui favorisait celle-ci) et A des facteurs personnels (rejet des pens6es negatives au sujet de leur efficacit6, certitudes au sujet des objectifs personnels et mise 'a profit de leur experience de l'enseignement). The negative effects of educational reform on teachers have been calculated by such critics as Apple (1986). The effects of reform on teachers' expectations about their professional effectiveness are important because teacher expectancies influence decisions about daily practice. We interviewed and observed four teachers over one year as they learned to teach mixed-ability mathematics classes in response to a destreaming policy imposed without their consent. Although reform initially had a substantial negative effect on teachers' beliefs about their professional efficacy, over time their confidence rebounded. The focus of our research was on identifying the factors that contributed to the resurgence.'