The main challenge of improving students’ academic performance is to define how personal qualities of teachers, as well as the overall school organization influence the educational outcomes. In this respect, personal teacher efficacy is confined to personal conviction that a person is capable enough of producing desired outcomes, regardless of difficulties he/she may encounter.
In order to surpass the challenges a teacher should be persistent, consistent, and enthusiastic to bring the highest results and make students improve their knowledge and skills. In contrast, collective efficacy refers to the common perceptions of instructions in a school about that their effect will definitely have positive influence on students. Because people operate with broader social networks, socio-cultural influences are inevitable and, therefore, they should be taken into consideration while evaluating efficacy expectations.
An analysis of the student test scores have revealed that the concept of collective teacher efficacy is a single and independent concept consisting of two interrelated notions – task understanding and group competence.
Therefore, it has been proved that collective teacher efficacy actually characterizes the culture of Ohio school because it has a potent impact on the social environment (Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy, 2000). In particular, one of the key points linking all aspects of collective performance involves trust in colleagues, which has a positive outcome on students’ performance (Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy, 2000).
However, teacher powerlessness has also been revealed as a feature of collective teacher efficacy which negatively contributes to the overall performance of students. In addition, the given studies verify the consistency and effectiveness of Bandura’s (1993) theoretical frameworks. According to the researchers, social and cultural environment is an important indicator of individual capabilities and competences.
Taking into account social milieu as a significant factor influencing professional development, teachers can fulfill themselves in professional terms when being placed in a professional environment (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001).
The role of an administrator is to organize a working process in a way that each professional should have a sufficient ground for developing his/her capabilities and achieve the desired outcomes (Zepeda, 2012). Moreover, a specific hierarchy of needs and concerns should be worked out to meet the goals of each individual within a single belief system.
The fact that collective teacher efficacy is premised on vicarious experience, mastery experience, affective states, and social persuasion is undeniable and can be seen from my personal experience. Hence, mastery experience helps me much in decision-making based on past actions and problems. I often refer to other practices so as to improve students performance because vicarious experiences contribute to my personal competence.
Incentives and rewards are among other factors complementing faculty’s efficacy. For instance, I am extremely motivated when I receive either positive or negative feedback concerning my skills and performance. Also, I believe that readiness to change, as well as the ability to resist stress are among the factors enhancing the concept of collective teacher efficacy. I have had an experience of low performance levels among students. In order to solve the problems, teachers should overcome stress and introduce new approaches to teaching.
Acknowledging the existence of collective efficacy teaching, the administrator should be able to integrate effective models and theories that would enhance the overall social atmosphere at the educational establishment. Moreover, the administrator should be capable of measuring teacher’s beliefs about their self-efficacy levels.
References
Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist, 28(2), 117-148.
Goddard, R. G., Hoy, W. K., & Hoy, A. W. (2000). Collective teacher efficacy: Its meaning, measure, and impact on student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 37(2), 479-507.
Tschannen-Moran, M., & Hoy, A. W. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17, 783-805.
Zepeda, S. J. (2012). Professional development: What works, 2nd ed. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.