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Developments in Mathematics Teachers’ Efficacy Beliefs

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From beliefs to dynamic affect systems in mathematics education

Part of the book series: Advances in Mathematics Education ((AME))

Abstract

Teacher efficacy beliefs refer to beliefs about one’s capacity to organize and execute courses of action to accomplish a specific task. After almost 40 years of intensive research on teacher efficacy beliefs, and despite the impressive support of the claim that teacher efficacy beliefs constitute an important influence on teacher behaviour and student achievement, motivation and beliefs, the construct remains under serious criticism. It is not a surprise that after this huge effort of the international educational community, researchers expected more safe theoretical and practical outcomes.

Specifically, researchers contend that rather than being at the verge of maturity, research on teacher efficacy beliefs is still lacking clarity and demands radical reconceptualization. The weaknesses or objections raised recently include:

The definition of the construct. Despite Bandura’s demand for specificity of the task of reference, in most studies the actual measure refers to global efficacy, which is ambiguous and hard to prove operationally.

Scale development. There are significant limitations to most of the established scales and a need for distinction between personal and collective teaching efficacy.

The sources of teacher efficacy beliefs. Apart from Bandura’s four sources of efficacy beliefs, there are other contextual sources which deserve more attention and analysis.

Methodologies. The great majority of studies are quantitative with items mostly limited to global efficacy. Doubs are raised about the utility of numerical confidence levels and the related measures; the need for more qualitative and mixed research designs is underlined.

Complexity and multidimensionality of the construct. There is an urgent need for studies focusing on specific interpretive meaning of the concept and certain dimensions of efficacy in connection with the outcomes of practice.

In the present chapter we discuss and analyse these and other contentions with respect to current research; we draw on recent research, particularly but not only on review papers, in connection with studies that have examined efficacy beliefs with respect to teaching mathematics.

Promoting teachers’ efficacy beliefs within teacher education programs may have the unintended effects of promoting problematic types of teachers’ efficacy confidence, suppression of potentially beneficial teacher doubts, and fostering maladaptive motivation patterns. (Wheatley 2005, p. 758)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Studies, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

    George N. Philippou

  2. Department of Teachers’ In-service Training, Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Marilena Pantziara

Authors
  1. George N. Philippou
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  2. Marilena Pantziara
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Correspondence to George N. Philippou .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sør-Trøndelag University College, Trondheim, Norway

    Birgit Pepin

  2. Professional School of Education Department of Mathematics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Bettina Roesken-Winter

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Philippou, G.N., Pantziara, M. (2015). Developments in Mathematics Teachers’ Efficacy Beliefs. In: Pepin, B., Roesken-Winter, B. (eds) From beliefs to dynamic affect systems in mathematics education. Advances in Mathematics Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06808-4_5

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