SECONDARY HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS’ SELF-EFFICACY REGARDING GEOGRAPHY TEACHING

Teacher education remains a significant issue affecting the quality of geography instruction in the United States. Teachers’ self-efficacy has been identified as a crucial factor for improving teacher education and promoting educational reform. This study intended to develop a better understanding of the relationships between teacher education programs and secondary history/social studies teachers’ self-efficacy regarding teaching geography, and other demographic factors that could be a possible influence on geography teachers’ self-efficacy. A quantitative research methodology was employed to measure geography teacher efficacy and to explore factors that influence geography teachers’ efficacy in order to identify ways in which preservice and in-service education might better prepare geography teachers. The instrument, the Geography Teaching Belief Instrument (GTEBI), used for data collection was an online survey that was modified from a Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI_A) to assess secondary history/social studies teachers’ perceptions of their self-efficacy in geography teaching. Data were gathered from secondary history/social teachers in Virginia. Critical influential factors, geography-related conferences (p<.014), approved teacher licensure education programs (p<.038), and years of teaching experience in geography (p<.004) were found to have a statistically significant relationship with personal geography teaching efficacy. Only the factor, years of teaching experience in geography (p<.002), was found to have a significant relationship with geography teaching outcome expectancy. Findings could result in better teacher education programs for secondary history/social studies teachers in geography teaching and lead to more effective curriculum and instructional practices in teaching geography, thus benefiting student achievement.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Year dc:date.available

2011

Author dc:creator

• Gao, Yan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Michael D. Davis

• Teacher Efficacy
• Secondary Social Studies Teacher
• Geography Teaching
• Education

Statement dc:rights

• © The Author

Identifier

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/274

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-1273