Abstract
Self-efficacy refers to the degree of confidence future teachers have that they can perform successfully in the task of differentiation. Indeed, self-efficacy appears to influence the teachers’ choice of activities and how much effort they will spend on them. To determine whether the gifted course in the current study could improve the participants’ self-efficacy, that is, their belief that they have the capacity needed for differentiation, preservice teachers’ self-efficacy was examined both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative analysis assessed all participants (n=90); they were presented with four self-efficacy questions, before and after participating in a university gifted course. Three questions were adapted from STEBI-B scale (Enochs & Riggs, 1990). The fourth question was developed by the researcher. To ensure the reliability of the questions, back translation technique was used for these questions. The answers were based on a 4-point Likert scale: Poor, Average, Good, and Very Good. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA was performed to determine if the participants’ self-efficacy improved after the course. No significant effect on the participants’ self-efficacy toward differentiation was identified (p<.05). Qualitatively, the interviews showed that most interviewed participants (n=4) had limited improvement in their self-efficacy toward differentiation. From the findings, it can be confirmed that a lectured-based course can serve as a starting point from which to focus preservice teachers’ attention on the varied needs of the gifted, and as a conduit for learning about special services for the gifted. However, by itself, the course appears to have minimal influence on self-efficacy toward differentiation.
Author Information
Ayidh Abdullah AlGarni, Taif University, Saudi Arabia
Paper Information
Conference: ACEID2015
Stream: Higher education
This paper is part of the ACEID2015 Conference Proceedings (View)
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