Self-efficacy of early childhood special education teachers: Links to classroom quality and children's learning for children with language impairment

Abstract

This study described the self-efficacy of early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers (n = 28) and investigated relations among teacher self-efficacy, classroom quality, and language and literacy gains of children with language impairment (LI; n = 108), as well as the extent to which classroom quality moderated the relations between teacher self-efficacy and children's language and literacy gains. Overall, ECSE teachers received high ratings for their self-efficacy. Lower levels of ECSE teachers' self-efficacy were associated with greater gains in children's language and literacy when children with LI were in classroom with a higher instructional support.