Teacher self-efficacy and its sources in physical education teaching training experiences

Abstract

During initial training, aspiring teachers should learn how to deal with the high cognitive, emotional and behavioral demands generated by teaching. At the same time, they need to develop and strengthen their personal belief that they will be capable of handling said challenges. In the physical education context, these demands can be even more challenging, given the environment and conditions in which classes are taught. This study aimed to analyze teacher self-efficacy belief as to teaching physical education, and its construction from situations experienced during school-based teacher training. A total of 87 future teachers (54% women; average age = 21.8) from a public university in the state of São Paulo completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). To describe sources of teacher self-efficacy, reflective portfolios composed as the final product of a supervised internship were analyzed. The student teachers showed moderate to high self-efficacy belief, which was primarily supported by teaching experiences and verbal persuasions. The relevance of teacher self-efficacy for teacher training, particularly in physical education early training processes, is discussed.