Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy through a Field-Based Program of Reflective Practice.

The study described in this report investigated the effects of field-based reflective practice on preservice teachers' sense of self-efficacy. Subjects in the study were 24 senior elementary majors participating in a 4-week field experience. Twelve students were assigned to the experimental school and 12 were assigned to two control schools. Each school had a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) who observed the preservice teachers during selected teaching experiences. In addition, the GTA in the experimental group conferenced extensively with each preservice teacher after each observed lesson to help, through coaching episodes, make sense of problematic situations. Biweekly, students in the treatment group were brought together for networking where they could recast, rethink, and bring new meaning to their practice. Preand post-measures of subjects' self-efficacy were obtained using the Teacher Efficacy Scale, open-ended questionnaires, and reflective journals. Results suggest that sharing experiences and strategies with cooperating teachers, peers, and the GTA helped subjects in the treatment group become self-assured reflectors. The sharing also had a significant positive impact on preservice teachers' sense of self-efficacy. (Contains 9 references.) (LL) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Reflective Practice 1 Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy Through a Field-Based Program of Reflective Practice Beatrice K. Volkman University of Alabama Anthony J. Scheffler Northwestern State University Marion E. Dana University of Southern Mississippi A Paper Presented at the 1992 Meeting of the Mid-Soutn Educational Research Association Knoxville, Tennessee RUNNING HEAD: Reflective Practice U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION r. "Office of Educational Research and improvement r"EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 17 This document has been reproduced as r`is received from the person or organization originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction Quality J '4 Points of view or opinions slated in this docu ment do not necessarily represent official OE ri position or policy BEST COPY AVAILABLE PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY 1 / (-) 0,4. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Reflective Practice 2 Abstract The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of field-based reflective practice on preservice teachers' sense of self-efficacy. Subjects in the study were 24 senior elementary majors participating in a four-week field experience. Unlike the 12 subjects assigned to the control group, the 12The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of field-based reflective practice on preservice teachers' sense of self-efficacy. Subjects in the study were 24 senior elementary majors participating in a four-week field experience. Unlike the 12 subjects assigned to the control group, the 12 treatment group subjects participated in an on-site, supervised program of reflective practice. Preand post-measures of subjects' self-efficacy were obtained using the Teacher Efficacy Scale, open-ended questionnaires, and reflective journals. An analysis of the covariance, using the pretest scores on the Teacher Efficacy Scale as a covariate indicated that at an alpha of . 05, the treatment group mean on the Teacher Efficacy Scale was significantly higher than that of the control group. An analysis of the qualitative data supported and provided insight into the statistical outcome. Results of the study suggested that participation in a field-based program of reflective practice had a significant positive impact on preservice teachers' sense of self-efficacy. Reflective Practice 3 Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy Through a Field-Based Program of Reflective Practice Students want teachers who will engage them in optimal learning situations (Phelan, Davidson, & Cao, 1992). Decisive teachers who are flexible and thoughtful function more effectively and confidently in today's complex classrooms than teachers who teach primarily by rote (Gibson & Dembo, 1984). Basic to the efficacious teacher may be the ability to be reflective, which Wellington (1991) defined as the agility to look back at the teaching and learning that has occurred and engage in a cycle of thought and action based on professional experiences. CalderhQad (1989) refines this definition of reflection to include the metacognitive processes of comparison, self-direction and evaluation. Canning (1991) found that reflectivity can help teachers develop their own educational visions and improve their self-image, which may be linked to self-efficacy. Because self-efficacy describes how one is able to visualize success and execute a desired outcome (Bandura, 1977, 1982), it may help determine a teacher's effectiveness. When a teacher education program emphasizes self-worth and engages the preservice teacher in reflective practice, students tend to be decisive and assured (Biddle & Reflective Practice 4 Lasley, 1991). A project developed to enable veteran teachers to facilitate reflectivity in preservice teachers found reflective coaching was positively correlated with greater feelings of self-efficacy among preservice teachers (Nolan & Hillkirk, 1991). The present study was a preliminary effort to examine the impact of a field-based program of reflective practice on preservice teachers' self-