Teacher Self-Efficacy Research Presented by UAPB at AERA Annual Conference in Philadelphia

Courtesy of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) accepted the research proposal titled “Developing Teaching Candidates’ Self-Efficacy Through Cross-Cultural Strategies,” submitted by Dr. Kimberley Davis, Dean/Associate Professor of the School of Education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), UAPB Associate Professor Dr. William Torrence, and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Associate Professor Wendy Kubasko. The team presented the research at the 2024 AERA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA.

The AERA 2024 theme was “Dismantling Racial Injustice and Constructing Educational Possibilities: A Call to Action.” According to the AERA, the conference is the world’s largest gathering of education researchers, where they showcase groundbreaking and innovative studies in various areas.

Using feedback from district partners, their Teacher Self-Efficacy study examined teacher candidates from a Historically Black College in a southern state’s perceptions of pre- and post-participation in a classroom management workshop employing cross-cultural strategies.

Teacher self-efficacy is a term used to describe a teacher’s confidence in their ability to guide students to success. It also includes their ability to teach effectively, help students learn, create effective programs for students, and adapt to their student’s learning needs. According to their research’s preliminary results, teacher candidates demonstrated a greater self-efficacy for addressing whole-class behavior management versus individual student dynamics. Results from the post-data collection will inform future training for teacher candidates and mentor teachers and will be used as a foundation for program transformation with district partners.