The development of collective teacher efficacy at the middle school level
Subject
Abstract
Collective teacher efficacy is a group of teachers’ collective belief in their ability to be effective. This research explores the concept of collective teacher efficacy, specifically middle school teachers’ beliefs on what factors contribute to the development of collective teacher efficacy at the middle school level. An online survey was used as the research instrument to gather responses from teachers in the Sooke School District and Saanich School District on Southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Any teacher in either district currently working at a middle school in a contracted position was asked to participate. As well, any teacher working in either Sooke School District (#62) or Saanich School District (#63) who is currently teaching at another grade level but has held a teaching contract for one full year at a middle school also qualified for participation. This information was gathered using a Likert scale response system, teachers were asked to rank the impact of certain factors in terms of their contribution to the development of collective teacher efficacy. Additionally, participants were asked to respond to two short response questions and one open-ended question regarding the development of collective teacher efficacy at the middle school level. The data gathered by this survey indicates that middle school teachers believe certain factors do indeed play a more significant role in the development of collective teacher efficacy at the middle school level. Particularly, professional trust amongst teaching staff, and between teachers and school administrators were ranked as most significant. Further research is required to identify how each factor contributes to collective teacher efficacy in more detail, and how the data gathered in this study would compare to data gathered from elementary or secondary level teachers. The data presented in this study can be utilized by teachers, administrators, and district leaders to better inform their practice in the pursuit of collective teacher efficacy development at their respective institutions.