developing self-efficacy in the pre-service teacher. The results suggest teacher instructors and co-operating teacher’s self-efficacy strongly influences the way art education is taught in classrooms (2011). Ironically, it was found in the development of pre-service teachers the instructors should “first attend to the sources underlying their own beliefs”. In doing so, the four previously mentioned sources for developing self-efficacy should be addressed honestly by the instructor. According to the authors, instructor self-efficacy could be enhanced if desired. Garvis, et al. (2011), contribute to the understanding of the valuable role of professional practice (experience) with others during the pre-service teacher education program. Instructor self-efficacy beliefs, contribute to forming the capabilities of novice teachers. Positive modeling and verbal persuasion demonstrated for the pre-service students by their instructors, were effective ways of developing positive self-efficacy. The fact the instructor’s self-efficacy can impact the pre-service teacher significantly was a very appropriate observation. Garvis et al. (2011), cites several researches when recognizing desirable practices result from high “teacher self-efficacy”. High self-efficacy leads teachers to: (1) Greater commitment to teaching (2) greater levels of planning and organizing; (3) decreased teacher burnout; and (4) utilization of a wider variety of teaching materials. Personal teaching efficacy is defined as the teacher’s “overall sense of his/her own teaching effectiveness”. General teaching efficacy represents the general belief teaching can affect pupils positively.
Pre-service teacher efficacy and concerns, individually and collectively, significantly influenced learner-centered beliefs. These findings indicate teacher education can facilitate the development of beliefs by addressing these trainable characteristics and demonstrate the need to further explore both teacher efficacy and concerns as they relate to learner-centered education within teacher education programs. Following Dunn’s recommendation, the study of teacher efficacy appears to be needed to understand better the success of experiential education in FCS Education. The Demand for FCS Educators In the Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, an article about the need for FCS teachers lists all the states having a shortage of teachers. Only five states were found to have sufficient pools for applicants. Twenty six states found they had a shortage or future shortage of qualified FCS teachers . Idaho alone needed to fill over 14 Family and Consumer Sciences teacher positions in the fall 2013. FCS is identified as a designated teacher shortage area . There is no shortage of need for FCS teachers. They are in demand. FCS as a generalist discipline, expects a teacher who perceives themselves as an effective teacher and has the confidence to teacher a variety of life skills. Life skills need to not only be taught, but taught by efficacious teachers. Home and family will always be integral components of our society and teachers’ influences are more impacting than ever before. Today, education is a service attained outside of the home. If students, who achieve in all areas of life, are the product which is being demanded, we centered
freshmen who were committed to teaching and to the FCS major. Students in FCS at currently have only one option in FCS specifically and it is to teach . Other related options for majors would be to major in Child Development or Marriage and Family Studies. But to receive training in the broad field of FCS, students currently have only the option to become teachers. In comparison, the sophomores may have experienced their first practicum. is the first experience in a “real” classroom. Students organize a lesson for a junior high class. This experience provides them a reality check. It has been at least five years since many have been in a junior high FCS class or the first time ever for some. Perhaps this is where a “weeding out” process takes place. This could be a time when FCS Ed. majors realize teaching FCS is a great thing, but they personally may not be cut out to teach. At this point in their schooling, they have the freedom to exercise their agency and change majors with little consequences. Perhaps this is why the scores drop considerably between the freshmen and sophomore years. Again, the relative small number of sophomores who completed the survey could also be due to the commitment factor. Junior FCS Ed. students have been prepared through content course work and then allowed to experience another adult education practicum and possibly completed a seven week industry based internship, for example working in a bakery, being a seamstress, or working in retail. If the student is following the appropriate sequences of courses they may even have had a child development practicum where they have acted as teachers in a child lab. where application begins to happen. They now are given opportunities to experience teaching FCS in both an early childhood and adult educational lab, thus their PTE scores should start to improve, which they do. Idaho