Investigating Lebanese teachers' mathematical, pedagogical and self—efficacy profiles: A case study

Abstract

We examined the mathematical, pedagogical and self-efficacy profiles of 13 grade 4 to 6 teachers sampled from five randomly selected schools in Lebanon. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of providing appropriate training,effective practices and resources for teaching a well-designed curricular intervention. This intervention focused on teachers' sense of self- efficacy and their expectations of students' academic success. Participating teachers were randomly assigned to experimental (TREAT) and Control (COMP) groups. The study employed a quasi-experimental and survey design. We used three instruments to collect data: Pre and Post Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (MTEBI); Teacher Mathematical Profile Questionnaire (TMPQ); and Teacher Pedagogical Profile Questionnaire (TPPQ). TREAT and COMP teachers were provided with independent training before the implementation of the intervention. Data was analyzed using measures of central tendencies and multivariate techniques. Results of the mathematical and pedagogical profile analysis showed that both groups of teachers used more procedural problem solving techniques rather than conceptual ones. Additionally, results of MANOVA indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between TREAT and COMP teachers' responses on pre and post Personal Mathematics Teaching Efficacy (PMTE) and Mathematics Teaching Outcome Expectancy (MTOE). However, TREAT teachers had significantly higher academic expectations of their students than did the COMP teachers.