Impact of the edTPA on teacher candidates’ perceptions of preparedness to teach

Abstract

This longitudinal case study conducted at a private University in the northeastern United States explored the impact of the edTPA assessment and preparation process as an embedded component of the University’s educator preparation program. The study tracked 59 graduate level candidates from entry into the program through candidate licensure. The researchers examined the impact of the edTPA preparation process on teacher candidates’ perceptions of their readiness to teach in comparison to their actual readiness to teach as indicated by their edTPA portfolio passing score. The University’s School of Education has an estimated 30% ethnic diversity population, thus a second research question compared perceptions of readiness to teach of candidates of color to those of Caucasian peers. Framed by Bandura’s (1977) self-efficacy theory, this study contributes to the research on the edTPA as an efficacious and inclusive evaluation tool, particularly within diverse schools of education.