Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ed.D. in Education

First Advisor

Rosusan D. Bartee

Second Advisor

Susan McClelland

Third Advisor

Dennis Bunch

Relational Format

dissertation/thesis

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between teacher efficacy, years of teaching experience, and grade level taught in three school districts in north Mississippi. The study used a mixed method research design that included a QUAN?qual process for data analysis. As part of the design, quantitative data collection was the priority method for the study folloby qualitative data collection to continue to explore the results from the quantitative section. For the quantitative portion of the study, participants included 123 elementary, middle, and high school teachers who completed the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale to measure teacher efficacy. For the qualitative portion of the study, participants in the study included six principals who completed interviews to clarify information obtained from the quantitative section of the study which evaluated teacher efficacy from the leadership perspective. The data analysis for the study included a 2-way ANOVA. Analysis results shothat there was no significant difference between teacher efficacy, years of teaching experience, and grade level taught. In addition, there was no significant interaction between the two independent variables, years of teaching experience and grade levels taught. The study did reveal, however, significance approaching in the area of grade level taught. Further analysis indicated that the difference in teacher efficacy scores for elementary and high school teachers was approaching significance. As a result, the qualitative portion of the study was folloby completing interviews with elementary and high school principals to explore this finding in more detail.

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