Improving writing feedback quality and self-efficacy of pre-service teachers in Gen-AI contexts: An experimental mixed-method design

The Science of Reading movement is impacting teacher preparation programs and primary classrooms nationwide, yet the emphasis on preparing preservice teachers (PSTs) to teach reading within the lens of cultural relevancy with emergent bilingual and multilingual children is lacking (Burns et al. 2023; Duke & Cartwright, 2021;National Committee for Effective Literacy, 2022; Goldenberg, 2020a). The authors explore the self-efficacy of preservice teachers’ perceptions of their ability to teach reading with emergent bilingual and multilingual students (ELL). The study is an explanatory sequential design emphasizing the convergence of quantitative and qualitative data. We review the self-efficacy of preservice and in-service teachers as they consider teaching reading with ELL students using the ELL Education Self-Efficacy Scale and participant interviews (Wu & Fang, 2021). Due to small sample size (n = 17) this study completed nonparametric testing and thematic analysis of interview data. These results may provide programmatic implications for the target teacher preparation program to review ways to support PSTs’ development to teach ELL students reading skills in primary grades. Findings are not generalizable outside of this study, however, recommendations for other teacher education programs are provided.

Self-efficacy, or teachers' beliefs in their ability to effectively handle the tasks, obligations, andchallenges associated with their professional activity plays a crucial role in influencing important academic outcomes (e.g., students' achievement and motivation). This is especially relevant in EFL/ESL language learning as teacher attitudes about their abilities to effectively instruct and motivate students affect their students’ perceptions of themselves as language learners and even their motivation to learn the target language. The COVID pandemic presented significant challenges to preservice EFL teachers worldwide, especially in Kuwait. This study examines preservice EFL teacher self-efficacy in the final semester of teacher education before the pandemic with preservice EFL teacher self-efficacy during the pandemic. Ninety secondary EFL preservice teacher education students (54 in the pre-COVID group and 36 in the during-COVID group) participated in the study. The participants completed a modified version of the STEBI-B, a self-report questionnaire designed to measure preservice teacher self-efficacy and outcome expectancy. The findings indicated higher levels of self-efficacy in the Pre-COVID group of preservice EFL teachers; especially on response items related to instructional methods/teaching content. The results of the study have implications for education programs offering online degree options as well as for traditional campus-based education programs. Received: 20 September 2024 / Accepted: 20 November 2024 / Published: 11 January 2025

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher preparation and health teaching self-efficacy in elementary and secondary preservice teachers. As expected, students felt most comfortable teaching topics that were covered in the particular health class in which they were enrolled, and less comfortable teaching topics that represented material from another class. Students enrolled in either the Comprehensive School Health Education course or School Health Education course were more likely to believe that they had the ability to impact their students' subsequent behavior in 11 out of 14 different health areas than students in other classes. Health minors felt more prepared to teach most health topics than other majors/minors. What is disconcerting, however, was that elementary education majors and minors scored lower than other secondary education majors and minors in their perceived ability to teach health. The importance of health issues in the elementary school curriculum, coupled with the fact that most elementary health education is taught by classroom teachers, implies that curricular revision is imperative.

ABSTRACTThis article examines the language ideologies associated with the sense of self-efficacy of bilingual preservice teachers about their Spanish-language skills. Current teacher shortages in the field of bilingual education and increased professional demands placed over pre- and in-service bilingual teachers compel teacher education programs to adapt their designs to the needs of future teachers. These needs are determined, to a great extent, by the perceptions that bilinguals have over their own ability to use Spanish as a medium of instruction and to teach Spanish as a subject. Using grounded theory, the study sought to analyze how language ideologies impact the self-efficacy of bilingual preservice teachers. Results show that ideologies connected to the hegemonic position of English in society had a strong effect on the sense of self-efficacy of the preservice teachers about the Spanish language. Consequently, teacher education programs preparing bilingual educators need to oppose and counteract ideologies affirming the hegemony of the English language, proposing instead perspectives favorable to linguistic pluralism.

The importance of 21st century skills have been increasing. These skills are effective in adaptation of an individual to society. Self efficacy of an individual could influence gaining of these skills. Perceived social self efficacy of teachers effects teaching attitudes and behaviors. It also has an affect on students’ learning motivations. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between 21st century skills of and perceived empathetic and social self efficacy of preservice teachers. The research is conducted in correlational survey model. 179 preservice preschool teachers were participated in the research. The data obtained from Personal Information Form, 21st Century Learning Skills and Perceived Empathetic and Social Self Efficacy scales by means of Google Form. Independent t-test, one-way ANOVA analysis and Pearson correlation were used to analyze. While there was a statistically significant difference according to being only or first child in perceived social self efficacy dimension, there was not statistically significant difference according to age, class, GPA and education level of parents. There was not statistically significant difference in innovativeness skills according to age, class, being first or only child, GPA and education level of parents. Except innovativeness and perceived social self-efficacy skills sub-dimensions, there is positive correlation between all dimensions.

ABSTRACTTeacher education programs are under great pressure to produce highly capable teachers. Teacher self-efficacy has been shown to correlate with teacher motivation and perseverance, yet little is known about how specific teacher education experiences predict teacher self-efficacy. Four sources contributing to teacher self-efficacy beliefs during teacher education programs include mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion from teacher educators, and verbal persuasion from cooperating teachers. In this study, perceptions of these sources were examined to determine how well they correlate with and predict preservice teacher self-efficacy. Results showed all four variables were strong predictors of preservice teacher self-efficacy, but that these variables accounted for only 18% of the variance, suggesting additional sources need to be examined. Perceptions of training experiences were examined across nine programs (N = 783). Implications for teacher educators and mentor teachers are provided so as to find ways to strengthen preservice teacher self-efficacy.

This study evaluated the impact of virtual technology on teacher candidates’ self-efficacy. Teacher self-efficacy based on empirical validity in face-to-face environments remains continuously, while it is a new concept in an online education environment. The following literature review conducted among different academic electronic databases and examined the 15 years passed published work. The literature review explores three major areas of research in online education about technology on teacher candidates’ self-efficacy. (1) self-efficacy of pre-service teachers by adopting virtual technology (2) association between teaching self-efficacy and virtual technology (3) changes in self-efficacy of a teacher before and after a professional development with the help of virtual technology. The study described that different researchers continuously examine the balance between pedagogical and technological knowledge that supports the professional development of pre-service teacher self- efficacy with the help of virtual technology, whether teacher self-efficacy differs in online education as compared to face-to-face education.

Teacher self-efficacy is understood as a teacher’s belief in his or her ability to successfully accomplish a specific teaching task in a particular context. Studies have been undertaken to determine preservice teachers’ self-efficacy in particular curriculum areas, but none have been completed that relate to the teaching of Religious Education (RE). This article reports on the findings of research undertaken with a group of preservice teachers preparing to teach RE in Catholic secondary schools in Melbourne, Victoria. The preservice teachers (PSTs) were enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Religious Education (GCRE), which is the qualification undertaken by preservice teachers at Australian Catholic University (ACU). The course consists of four units—two in theology and two in RE. A group of preservice teachers at Australian Catholic University who were enrolled in the GCRE were asked to participate in the research about their self-efficacy to teach RE. The results of the research outlines the importance of self-efficacy to the task of teaching and to teaching of the specialist area of RE in Catholic schools. The outcomes of the research indicated that the group of preservice RE teachers had higher levels of self-efficacy to teach RE at the end of the unit than they had at the beginning. This finding, which confirmed research conducted in other curriculum areas, was that preservice teachers’ self-efficacy was enhanced by their participation in the unit.

This study examined the factors that influence the sense of self efficacy of pre-service teachers at a university of technology in South Africa. To this end, a questionnaire was used in a survey to collect data from the population of fourth-year Bachelor of Education students. The Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) was used to measure the teaching self-efficacy of pre-service teachers, whilst the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) was used to measure their personality dimensions. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers differed in terms of the extent of their teaching self-efficacy. The findings also revealed that gender and study programme had no influence on pre-service teachers’ teaching self-efficacy. The findings further revealed that there is no relationship between pre-service teachers’ teaching self-efficacy and personality factors, namely neuroticism (N) and extraversion (E). Furthermore, the findings revealed that the programme of study emerged as a significant predictor of efficacy in the classroom management subscale of teaching self-efficacy.

PurposeThe purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of a student teaching internship program on the self-efficacy of pre-service teachers in China.Design/methodology/approachWith 1,367 participants, structural equation modelling was used to evaluate the fit of the hypothetical model and a latent path analysis was conducted to identify the relationship among various variables.FindingsThe results suggested that the program had a significant impact on efficacy in terms of personal skills, general teaching skills and personal qualities of the student interns concerned. Although this study was set in rural China, the findings of this study offered insights for teacher education in other places.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, no research studies have been conducted on this in-service teacher training program in a systematic and comprehensive way using a large sample size and involving all major stakeholders. The aim of the present study is to fill this gap, by exploring the experience of a large cohort of pre-service teachers participating in this student teaching internship program. Studying the experiences of these student teachers will illuminate some of the key challenges faced and how they impacted their teaching and learning during their teaching practices in rural areas. The findings may help teacher education institutions to review and enhance their existing approaches to teaching practices and professional development initiatives not only in rural China but in similar contexts in other countries.

Teacher training is fundamental to the success of gifted and talented education (GATE). Unfortunately, in sub-Saharan Africa, which is still in the early stages of practicing inclusive education, knowledge about GATE is limited because preservice teacher training programs have yet to prioritize this subject area. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the attitudes and self-efficacy of 304 preservice teachers regarding GATE at three education colleges in Ghana. Using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework, the results show a positive association between attitude and self-efficacy, with the latter emerging as a significant predictor of the former. Other background variables—such as gender, knowledge of inclusive education policy, specialization, and level of study—provide insights into the attitudes and self-efficacy of preservice teachers. Also discussed is the need for teacher training institutions to introduce training courses and develop culturally responsive policies, guidelines, and strategies for GATE.

Purpose This case study examines the experiences of 20 student teachers at an Indonesian private university in enhancing their self-efficacy in utilizing instructional technology.Design/methodology/approach The participants of this study had different cultural backgrounds and spoke different indigenous languages. Situated in diverse classroom settings, the participants were interviewed using online platforms to examine their learning experience when learning to integrate technology into teaching. Furthermore, observational data were collected through photographs taken during the learning process to triangulate the findings.Findings Grounded in case study analysis, the study reveals three emerging themes indicating the development of the preservice teachers' confidence in multilingual classrooms: (1) designing technology-mediated learning activities, (2) using learning technology to foster students' autonomy in learning and (3) promoting peer engagement in diverse classrooms through technology-based learning. Furthermore, the participants demonstrated their ability to develop self-efficacy in overcoming the challenges associated with technology use in education by adapting, innovating, and collaborating.Research limitations/implications The study has three limitations. First, the limited number of participants involved in the study restricts the generalizability of the findings and does not allow for testing the potential influence of variables such as age, gender or experience on preservice teachers' beliefs. Second, limitation pertains to the reliability of self-report data provided by the preservice teachers. Given that self-efficacy can fluctuate over time, a longitudinal study is needed to investigate whether preservice teachers' self-efficacy in utilizing technology for learning evolves over time. Third, while the study was conducted in diverse classroom settings, it lacks an in-depth exploration of how cultural diversity impacts the learning outcomes of these preservice teachers.Originality/value The findings suggest that nurturing the technological self-efficacy of preservice teachers enhances their competence in technology-mediated pedagogy, both during the pandemic of COVID-19 and in the future.

To acquire knowledge about student-mediated peer-to-peer collaborative activities, pre-service teachers’ perceptions of peer feedback are analyzed and categorized as receiver, provider, or cognitive feedback. A questionnaire of 15 survey questions concerning supportive feedback from peers was designed and validated using assessments from more than 200 pre-service teachers. The questionnaire was aligned with the activities promoting supportive feedback between pre-service teachers from three bachelor’s degrees at a tertiary education institution. Their perceptions were then quantified in terms of the peer feedback categories. While there were significant correlations between the scores for all 15 questions, real insights were produced when the highest correlations were analyzed. As such, being involved as both feedback providers and receivers was highly rated. The self-efficacy of pre-service teachers receiving feedback, (i.e., the extent to which peer instructional strategies and the selected learning tasks were cognitively challenging so as to improve receiver feedback), proved to be correlated with their perceptions of involvement, autonomy, and structure. Likewise, motivation for providing or receiving feedback was also closely correlated with the self-efficacy of pre-service teachers providing feedback. Finally, all three questions in the cognitive feedback category were highly correlated. The pre-service teachers were, thus, motivated to improve their learning and considered feedback as a useful task and as a way to strengthen their relationships with their peers.

How teachers use technology efficiently in their classes is an important issue because learning environments are also affected by rapid developments in instructional technology. In the current study, we investigated how designing an inquiry-based technology-enhanced lesson plan on the virtual platform influences the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) self-efficacy of pre-service teachers and also how they integrated educational technology into their lesson plans. A total of 38 undergraduate students at a teacher education programme participated in the study. Data were gathered by the self-efficacy scale and the lesson plans developed by the pre-service teachers. The findings revealed a significant increase in the TPACK self-efficacy of the pre-service teachers after they designed an inquiry-based technology-enhanced lesson plan on the virtual platform. Besides, lesson plan analysis showed that pre-service teachers generally followed the phases of inquiry-based learning and integrated online scaffolding tools and virtual laboratories into their plans at a moderate level.

In an era of technological innovations which had ushered in a range of occupations and when the states are grappling with a shortage of quality teachers, is there something that motivates individuals to join the teaching profession? Limited career opportunities, high demands of teaching, and low pay deter new recruits from joining the teaching profession. The objective of the present study is to find the relationship between pre-service teachers’ emotional intelligence and their perceptions of self-efficacy. The study randomly selected 103 student teachers who have enrolled in the two-year Bachelor of Education program. Data collected using questionnaires were analysed by employing Pearson product-moment correlation to examine the correlation between the variables. Results of the study revealed that there exists a statistically significant positive correlation between pre-service teachers’ emotional intelligence and their perceptions of self-efficacy. The results of the study might help researchers, teacher educators, and curriculum designers of teacher education to focus on aspects that might enhance their emotional intelligence and self-efficacy, which will help young recruits in the teaching profession to excel in their profession as well as governments and institutions to retain the teachers in the profession.