Relationship between Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Instructional Strategies Applied among Secondary School Teachers in Implementing STEM Education

Abstract

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Malaysia prioritizes STEM Education in the education transformation with the target to fulfill the demand of national workforce. Strengthening STEM initiatives stated in the Malaysian Blueprint 2013–2025 targets students to be nurtured with the skillset to survive the hardships of a fast-moving pace technological world. As teachers play an essential role in ensuring achievement of this transformation, this study was conducted to identify the level of self-efficacy and dominant instructional strategies among secondary school STEM teachers in the district of Kemaman, Terengganu in Malaysia. A simple random survey method was used in this study involving 217 teachers. The instruments used in this study were Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES) and Minnesota Effective Practice Instructional Strategies Assessment (MEPISA). The analysis of descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation was done using SPSS software. The findings of this study show that the mean for both general and personal teaching self-efficacy are at a high level. While, the mean for dominant instructional strategies perceived by teachers is at a moderate level. Furthermore, there is a low but significant positive correlation found between the general and personal teaching self-efficacy with instructional strategies in implementing STEM education.