South Korean Elementary Teachers' Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Implications for Educational Policy and Research

Abstract

It is known that teacher efficacy is associated with mathematical instructional quality and student confidence (Gresham, 2009). To think more about ways to promote teacher efficacy, we examined South Korean elementary teachers' mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs and what factors increase their efficacy beliefs. A translated and adapted version of the mathematics teaching efficacy belief instrument was used to gather information on teachers' mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs and their background information (n=283). Based on statistical analyses (ANOVA and the multiple regression model), we found that South Korean mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs differ by educational level in mathematics education, certification level, and range of teaching experience. For example, teacher efficacy beliefs increase with experience, on average, with the highest occurring in teachers with between eleven and fifteen years of experience, then decline after fifteen years, possibly because of a reduction in certification and professional development participation after that time. The findings imply that elementary teachers' mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs might be increased with teachers' professional development programs focusing on mathematics education.