Relationship between Teaching Experience with Self-Efficacy and Instructional Strategies Applied among Secondary School Teachers

Abstract

Within the education system around the world, teaching experience is proven to be one of the important factors in both the teaching and learning processes, which continue to fascinate researchers and educational deliverer. In order to strengthen STEM initiatives which listed in the Malaysia Blueprint 2013–2025, Malaysia places outstanding significance on STEM education. This quantitative study was carried out to identify the relationships between years of teaching experience with self-efficacy and instructional strategies applied among secondary school teachers in implementing STEM education. This study was conducted in 22 secondary schools located in Kemaman, Terengganu. A simple random survey method was used to complete this investigation which involving a total of 217 teachers. They were tested using the Teaching Efficacy Scale (TES) and Minnesota Elective Practice Instructional Strategies Assessment (MEPISA) instrument. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 24.0. Pearson correlation was employed to reveal the relationships between the variables in this study. The findings depicted that there was a low but significant positive correlation found between years of teaching experience and personal teaching self-efficacy. Besides, there was no significant correlation between years of teaching experience and general teaching self-efficacy. Furthermore, there was also no significant correlation between years of teaching experience and instructional strategies applied among secondary school teachers in implementing STEM education. To summarize these relationships, an increase in teaching experience can be an indicator of a heightened level of teachers’ personal teaching self-efficacy in the implementation of STEM education.