A Correlational Study of Teacher Efficacy and Culturally Responsive Teaching Techniques in a Southeastern Urban School District
Author: Callaway, Roberta F.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Correlation,Culturally Relevant Education,Urban Areas,School Districts,School Desegregation,Busing,Boards of Education,Court Litigation,Equal Education,Economically Disadvantaged,African American Students,Achievement Gap,Achievement Tests,Learning Readiness,Teacher Effectiveness,Teaching Methods,Learner Engagement,Classroom Techniques,Secondary School Teachers,Self Efficacy,Measures (Individuals),Statistical Analysis,Surveys,Factor Analysis

This study was conducted in the fall of 2015 in a large, urban school district located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. There are 33 elementary schools, one kindergarten through eighth grade school, eight middle schools, and five high schools in the district; three of the five high schools in the district participated. The district was the focus of national attention in the late 1950s for spearheading racial desegregation of its schools; the district garnered national attention again in 1986 when a judicial ruling allowed them to end busing and achieve racial balance in its schools. Mandatory busing for the purpose of desegregation in the district began in 1971. Within the first weeks of busing, 8,000 students left the district (most of whom were Caucasian). In 1983, the school board voted to end cross-town busing of elementary students. Their decision was upheld in 1986 when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the lower court decision. A community oversight committee was established to oversee equality among schools in the district, but it disbanded itself in 1991. Currently, the school district has a population of 238,832; it enrolls a racially and economically diverse population of approximately 32,000 total students supported by a staff of more than 4,600 employees. Students classified as economically disadvantaged make up nearly 67% of the district's student body; African-American students are a majority of the district's economically disadvantaged population of students. Nationally and across the state, students who are economically disadvantaged tend to have lower performance on EOC tests due to a variety of factors that influence readiness to learn; this district follows the same trend. District-wide, students who are not economically disadvantaged tend to exceed state standards on EOC tests. The primary objective of this study was to examine how teacher efficacy impacts culturally responsive teaching techniques (CRTTs), instructional strategies, student engagement, and classroom management. In addition, personal teacher efficacy (PTE) and general teacher efficacy (GTE) of high school teachers in three of the five district high schools was examined. This study sought to address four research questions: 1. What is the PTE and GTE of high school teachers as measured by the Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES)? 2. What is the relationship between teacher efficacy and CRTTs as measured by the TES and the CRTT Scale? 3. What is the relationship between teacher efficacy and student engagement in high school classrooms as measured by the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), CRTT Scale, and TES? 4. What is the relationship between teacher efficacy, CRTTs, instructional strategies, student engagement, and classroom management as measured by the TES, TSES, and CRTT Scale?