Sarah Glasgow

Publication Date

8-2006

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Pitt Derryberry, Steven Wininger, Elizabeth Jones

Comments

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Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Education Specialist

Abstract

The relationship between teacher efficacy and the national certification of teachers is an area that has produced little to no research. A teacher’s sense of efficacy is one of the few teacher characteristics that strongly relates to student achievement (Armor et al., 1976). The major goal of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is to raise the standard of the teaching profession. Teachers who obtain National Board Certification are considered accomplished and are recognized as knowledgeable and effective in their ability to enhance student achievement. Through the examination of its documented effect on both teachers and students, it seems conceivable that high teacher efficacy should likely be associated with National Board Certification. The following research question is addressed in this study: Does the teacher efficacy of those who are National Board Certified differ from those who are not National Board Certified?

The participants in this study consist of 170 (160 females; 10 males) currently practicing teachers from the state of Kentucky. Examined were the differences on teacher efficacy factors among three groups of teachers – National Board Certified Teachers (n=87), teachers unsuccessful in National Board Certification (n=44), and teachers with at least three years experience (making them eligible for NBPTS certification) that have not attempted National Board Certification (n=33). Six participants were not included in the final anlysis due to the fact that they did not complete all the survey instruments. Participants were emailed electronic copies of a demographic questionnaire and the 24-item Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) by Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy (2001).

Analysis of the collected data indicates that teachers without NBPTS certification were just as efficacious as those teachers who have obtained NBPTS certification. Additionally, the number of times that teachers attempted certification through NBPTS did not moderate their efficacy. These findings may indicate that the NBPTS is not recognizing the more efficacious teachers. However, additional study is needed so that other aspects of teacher efficacy can be examined and so that teacher efficacy can be examined prior to and after the certification process.

Disciplines

Education | Psychology | School Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Teacher Education and Professional Development

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