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Efficacy Perceptions of Preservice and Inservice Teachers in China: Insights Concerning Culture and Measurement

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Frontiers of Education in China

Abstract

This study comprises the second stage of a research program in which sense of efficacy for teaching (SET) was investigated in Chinese mainland preservice and inservice teachers (PSTs and ISTs, respectively). Scores on SET were calculated and described, and SET comparisons were made between and within PSTs and ISTs. Relative to PSTs, ISTs had higher SET; within both the PSTs and IST samples there were no gender differences; but among ISTs there were some associations of SET with years of teaching, teacher roles, and whether the schools were categorized as advanced or standard. Tentative comparisons are drawn concerning SET in Chinese and Western contexts, and recommendations are made concerning effective measurement of teacher sense of efficacy in China and elsewhere.

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Acknowledgments

Kay-Dennis Boom, Christine Chen, and Michael Moxham suggested valuable improvements to earlier drafts of this manuscript. Colleagues in Australia and China provided assistance with translating the surveys and helped to gain access to participants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Kang Ma

  2. Independent academic researcher and author, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia

    Robert Trevethan

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  2. Robert Trevethan
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Correspondence to Robert Trevethan.

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Ma, K., Trevethan, R. Efficacy Perceptions of Preservice and Inservice Teachers in China: Insights Concerning Culture and Measurement. Front Educ China 15, 332–368 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11516-020-0015-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11516-020-0015-7

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